Modern Day Hunter
by Seadragon68
Summary: AU with VH as a modern day Hunter for the Order. He rescues Carl and ends up getting far more then he bargained for... VHCarl SLASH
1. Chapter One

**_For those of you that were following Even A Man Of God Has His Limits, this would be the reason there hasn't been an update in a while (along with an LOTR story I've finally posted here) This story has been shared other places but I finally am getting around to putting it here. _**

**_Since this takes place in modern times, clearly this is an AU story. And since my characters have not been transported here from "their own time" or are re-incarnations, they have different histories. Hope you enjoy!_**

****

The dark haired man hauled himself up on the roof and collapsed in exhaustion. Where the hell had all the gargoyles come from? There shouldn't be any of them here in the city. He clutched a hand to his bleeding shoulder and curse roundly. Damn it, he hated when Headquarters gave him inferior intel. He knew he wasn't very popular but surely they weren't trying to get rid of him?

He looked down from the rooftop searching for pursuit. Seeing nothing he slowly made his way across the rooftops until he reached the seedy part of town. Climbing down a fire escape, he proceeded down streets until he reached the building he lived in. It was run down and thoroughly disreputable but no one bothered him or took much notice of his strange hours and even stranger habits. He walked up to the top floor and down the hall to the small apartment he currently called home. Letting himself in, he tossed his keys on a small table and lowered a large sack onto the floor. He then slowly began the painful process of removing his coat and shirt. Once off, he walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror at his wounded shoulder. It was still bleeding but it had slowed a bit. It hurt like hell but he had gotten worse. He grabbed a tattered washcloth and set about cleaning and bandaging his shoulder.

Once done, he walked back out of the bathroom and headed over to the small kitchenette. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured himself a large glass. It had been a long night and he intended to drink himself into a comfortable oblivion while watching TV.

He settled down on the bed and flicked on the ancient black and white TV. He idly surfed through the channels while downing his first glass of whiskey. A monster movie got a brief pause as he watched a vampire go up in flames thanks to a holy water bath. _Yeah, like it is ever that easy._ He continued on and finally settled for some pointless action movie. The violent images and complete lack of plot was exactly what he needed. He poured himself another glass and sat back to watch.

Seeing the hero easily get people to follow his orders, the man just snorted bitterly. He could never get anyone to follow his orders, even when he was trying to save them from some hideous monster. They always thought he was involved somehow. He drained another glass and poured himself another. It just doesn't pay to be the good guy in real life. You do the right thing, you vanquish evil and everyone gets on your case about how much damage you caused. Even the bosses in the Order gave him grief every time he had to make contact with them. Which is, of course why he checked in as little as possible. Thank god for the Digital Era where everything could be sent by email or left in a voice mail. He raised his glass in a toast and drained it.

He then winced as his earlier train of thought reminded him of something unpleasant. He had damaged one of his weapons during the scrap with the gargoyles. That meant he was going to have to do more then email a report. He was going to have to travel to Rome and get it fixed. Groaning he grabbed the bottle and drank directly from it. Damn, he had hoped to avoid going in for at least another 6 months. His mind raced as he tried to think of a solution but the alcohol had started to kick in and nothing came to him. _Fuck it; I'll worry about it in the morning._ He settled down more comfortably in the bed and took another swig. He watched as the Hero commandeered a car with barely a protest. _If only it worked that easily for me…_

Carl was making one of his dreaded appearances in the office. He nervously fidgeted with the tie that he had hastily put on this morning before running out the house. He hated wearing a suit – he knew he looked ridiculous in them. He much preferred comfortable clothes he could work in. But he was due for one of his periodic reports to the Vice President in charge of Research and Development and there was just no putting it off any more.

He knew he was getting curious looks from the other people in the elevator. It was clear that Carl was not a typical employee of Carmaco but he had a red identity badge, which clearly gave him access to the secure levels of the facility. He was a mystery and the denizens of Corporate America didn't like mysteries. They liked things that could be clearly summed up with spreadsheets and flowcharts. Carl on his best day could never be turned into a flow chart.

He heaved a grateful sigh when they reached his floor and he could get out. He hated being stared at and looked down on. He might be one of the most profitable inventors that Carmaco had ever had but he would never be able to carry off the polished image that was the main stay of corporate ladder climbers everywhere. His strawberry blond hair always seemed to work itself into untidy spikes no matter what he did and he knew his pale skin made himself look slightly unhealthy next to the sleek gym rats that worked around here. He sighed and clutched his briefcase a little closer. This is why he always avoided the office. It always made him depressed.

He walked down the halls, ignoring the looks that passed his way. He reached his destination and walked up to the desk. He smiled at the efficient looking woman who manned it. She was on the phone but she gestured him towards one of the chairs. He settled into a chair and looked around at the tasteful yet somehow bland furnishings. He never could quite understand the point of decorating with art that didn't actually SAY anything.

The women finished up her phone call and smiled over at Carl. "Hello Mr. Hamilton. How are you today? Can I get you a cup of coffee?" Carl smiled gratefully at her. "A cup of coffee would be wonderful. I ran out of the house before I had a chance to have my first cup. With two sugars if that's not too much trouble?" She shook her head "No trouble at all. Just let me tell Mr. Langdon that you are here."

She turned and knocked on the door behind her and then opened it. "Mr. Hamilton is here when you are ready." Carl heard a muttered reply in response and she nodded and closed the door. "He's on a call with Tokyo and is going to be about 5 more minutes. He told me to make you comfortable." She walked across the room and stood in front of Carl. She had a predatory look on her face and her smile seemed to be offering more then just a cup of coffee. "So, how can I make you comfortable?" she said, oozing a little closer to Carl. He shifted awkwardly in his chair and said, "Well, that coffee would sure be nice". She looked disappointed for a moment but then quickly pinned that efficient "corporate" look on her face and said "Of course. I'll be right back." With that she headed out the door as fast as her tight little business suit would let her.

Carl sighed in relief. This happened every time he came to the office and was just another reason to dread reporting in. He never quite knew how to respond to aggressive overtures. Its not that Margaret wasn't an attractive woman, its just that she was ambitious and smart and Carl had learned to avoid that type. They always started out by saying that they didn't care that he had no desire to be an executive with the big office but it always ended the same. Terrible fights over Carl's refusal to "play the game" and "make something of himself". He knew that if he wanted to, he could demand the title and all the perks that went with it but he had absolutely no desire to do so. He liked inventing things and he liked the freedom of not being chained to corporate politics. The only reason he worked for Carmico at all is that it gave him an outlet for the things he created. It certainly wasn't about the money. He had plenty of that thanks to his parents.

He shook his head to rid himself of these depressing thoughts and pulled out his papers. Might as well review his findings in preparation of his meeting with Landgon.

Van Helsing slowly raised his head from the pillow. This turned out to be a bad idea as his head suddenly felt like it was going to split apart. Groaning he dropped his head back down. He really shouldn't drink like that but sometimes he just needed to sleep without the dreams. He tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep but nature called and he realized that he really needed to get up and piss. Rolling over he groaned a little more loudly. Not only did his head hurt but also his shoulder had begun throbbing and aching. Very gingerly he pushed himself into an upright position on the bed. The room swam for a few moments and then came back into focus. He took a couple of deep breaths and then decided to move on to Phase Two. He stood up and then let out a curse. Apparently his shoulder wasn't the only place the gargoyles scored last night.

Staggering to the bathroom, he stood over the toilet and dealt with his most immediate need. Then he opened the medicine cabinet and took out the painkillers. He poured two into his hand and swallowed them, not even bothering with water. This was becoming a habit he would rather not have. He looked at his face in the mirror and grimaced. He looked like hell and not too surprising. His long hair was tangled and in need of a wash and his eyes were bloodshot. Deciding that the first order of business was going to be a shower, he turned from his reflection and started the water running. He then shed his clothes and stepped under the water.

Water pressure and temperature was always unpredictable but apparently his luck was improving and it was both hot and plentiful. He wash away the remains of last night's scuffle and began to almost feel human again. He lingered for a while, letting the hot water soak away some of the residue soreness. While he healed quicker then most people, he had taken quite a beating last night. How the hell had a nest of gargoyles managed to find their way to the city? And why hadn't anyone from the Order found out about them BEFORE he walked right into them?

Thinking about his bosses made him remember that he was going to have to arrange to go into Headquarters. He scowled at the thought and angrily turned off the water. Stepping out of the shower, he quickly toweled off. He really didn't want to go to HQ. He was not in the mood for another lecture about his methods. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked out into the main room. He glared at the phone as if it was responsible for all of his grief. He started to walk towards the instrument of torture to pick it up when his stomach rumbled.

He paused and then decided that he just couldn't face dealing with The Dragon (his boss) until he had eaten something. Grabbing some clothes off a pile on the floor, he got dressed and headed out the door. Even though this was not about work, he still grabbed weapons. You never knew what might happen out there…

Carl left his meeting with Langdon feeling tired and wrung out. Langdon was a typical corporate executive in that he knew nothing about the creative process and cared even less. It was all about marketing windows and beating the competition to the punch. It was completely useless to say to him that it takes time to completely debug a system. He would argue that Carl worried too much about perfection and that he needed to learn to exist in the real world.

Having just come out of "the real world" Carl was just as happy to not be a part of it. And having eventually given Langdon the answers he wanted, Carl was now free to retreat back into his little world for another year. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he waited for the elevator. As the door opened, he stepped inside, grateful that there was no one else in the car. As soon as the doors closed he slumped against the back wall and worked to unfasten his tie. God how he hated the things! They only added to his feelings of claustrophobia he got when he had to come into the office. He shoved the instrument of torture into his pocket and closed his eyes. When the doors opened, he wearily pushed himself away from the wall and shuffled out of the car. He walked slowly across the lobby, lost in his own thoughts and almost walked into the door thanks to his distraction. It was only the quick shout of some "suit" that prevented him from hurting himself. He flushed bright red and mumbled some words of thanks. He hurried out of the building with the amused and pitying looking of the "suit" burned into his brain. God, he hated having to deal with the office.

Reaching his car, he opened the door and threw his brief case into the passenger's seat. He started the car and was about to head for home when his stomach rumbled. He decided that he didn't want to have to deal with cooking something so that meant he needed to find a restaurant somewhere and get dinner.

Pulling out of Carmico's parking lot, he remembered a restaurant he gone to with Carol, one of his ex's. He vaguely recalled that it wasn't too far from the office and decided that it would do. Right now he just wanted a cheeseburger and French fries and maybe even a milk shake. Yeah, that sounded good. It had been a really long day…


	2. Chapter Two

**_Well our boys finally meet under less then ideal circumstances..._**

****

Van Helsing sat in a corner booth and nursed his beer. He knew he had to go back and face the music but he couldn't bring himself to get up and head back home. Food had eliminated his headache but the dull ache in his shoulder remained. Still, in another couple of days, even that would be gone. Unfortunately by then he'd have a whole new set of pains courtesy of Jinette – aka The Dragon.

Jinette had all the warmth of an iceberg and the cuddly nature of a pit bull. He had been running the Order for nearly 30 years and it was said that the bones of Hunters who crossed him were buried out back in the ceremonial rose garden the Order kept to promote relaxation. Ha! Like anyone could relax in that place. Everyone who worked there was wound tighter then a clock. Its why he avoided the place whenever possible. A couple of days there and he was ready to do bodily harm. Still there was nothing to be done for it. Van Helsing threw some dollar bills down on the table and walked out of the bar.

Carl was sitting in an unfamiliar bar in a slightly questionable part of town. It hadn't been his intention to eat here but when he tried to find the restaurant he remembered going to before, he had gotten lost and then when he tried to get unlost, it only got worse. Finally he just decided to stop at the first place he saw and then get directions back to where he needed to go. So here he was.

He had gotten more then a few looks when he walked in which wasn't too surprising. This wasn't a suit kind of crowd and even though Carl had lost the jacket and tie, he was still overdressed. He slid into the first open booth and tried to make himself inconspicuous. He didn't want any trouble. He just wanted to eat, get directions and then go home and go to bed.

When a bleached blonde waitress with teased hair came over, he tried to smile winningly. She looked at him over and, deciding that she liked what she saw, leaned over giving him a nice view of her cleavage. Carl swallowed hard and his smile faltered a bit.

"So handsome, what can I do you for?" She said in what she no doubt thought was a seductive manner. Carl cringed internally and began to wish he had never come in. "Ah… can I get a menu? I was hoping for something to eat." He unconsciously scooted a little farther away. Frankly her perfume was a bit overpowering and was threatening to make him sneeze.

She noticed the move and straightening up, became all business. ""Sure, I'll be right back with a menu. But it's nothing too fancy, just so you know." Carl just gave a hesitant smile and said "That's fine, I'm not looking for fancy just a burger and fries if you have it".

The waitress said, "Yea, we got that. How do you want it cooked?" Carl told her and she said, "I'll bring it over in a bit. Want a drink or something?" Carl thought about the milkshake he had hoped for and quickly dismissed it. This was not a milkshake kind of place. "I'll have a coke. I've got to drive home" She raised her eyebrow at what she no doubt thought was a sissy order and said "I'll be right back with your coke then". She turned on her heel and headed back to the bar to place his order. He sighed slightly and let his head rest back on the booth. This day just kept getting better and better…

Van Helsing stepped outside of the bar and paused to look around. After yesterday's little run in, he wasn't taking any chances. Especially since one of his Tojos was damaged and they seemed to be the only thing that could cut through the tough hide of the gargoyles. And clearly even they had a problem since one of them had broken against a really large gargoyle. Maybe headquarters had something new they had cooked up that might be more effective. The Tojos were lethal but they required being up close and personal and that is not a good position to be in with a gargoyle. Mean bastards!

He decided that before he went back to face the call to headquarters, he was going to restock his whiskey supply. He was going to need it after he got through talking to Jinette.

Carl finished up the last of the fries and let out a happy sigh. It was amazing what a big, greasy burger and fries could do for your mood. He picked up the bill and quickly calculated a sizeable tip for his waitress. He knew he had disappointed her but he really wasn't in the mood for company tonight. Still, he had directions and now he could finally head home and put an end to this horrendous day.

Stepping out of the bar, he tried to remember where he had parked his car. Looking around he remembered he had parked down that little side street. He walked down the street, his mind already on thoughts of his latest project. He hadn't been very pleased with the power output and was thinking about how he could increase its efficiency.

It was a strange scraping noise that brought him back to the present. The street where he had left his car was dark and narrow and he was beginning to realize it wasn't such a bright idea to have parked there.

Van Helsing was coming out of the liquor store when he heard a familiar noise coming from a side street. He pushed the bottle into his pocket and slowly headed towards the dark, narrow street. He drew his remaining tojo and carefully scanned the shadows. But when he reached the head of the street, all caution was cast aside. There were the gargoyles and it seemed that they had found a friend.

He sprinted down the street, tojo blade spinning. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do but he had to try to get the civilian out of there. The gargoyles, hearing him coming turned to see who it was. Recognizing him as the Hunter from the night before, they let out howling noises and split into two groups. The first stayed with the civilian while the second made for Van Helsing.

Van Helsing smiled grimly and waiting for the gargoyles to reach him. He had thinned the nest a bit last night but there were still 5 to be contended with and with only the one tojo, that wasn't exactly the best odds. He could only hope that he could distract them enough that the civilian could run. Then he'd make his own escape. Let the Order send someone else to tackle these guys.

The 3 gargoyles tried to circle him in but Van Helsing knew better then to let that happen. He carefully kept a wall behind him at all times while he dodged and weaved away from their attacks. One swipe came far too close and he had to do a rolling dive to get away. The gargoyle howled and tried to grab for him and Van Helsing brought the tojo up and sliced off the reaching arm. The gargoyle howled in pain and dropped back. This just enraged the other 2 who stepped up the attacks. Van Helsing knew that if he didn't end this soon, that they would wear him out so he decided it was time to get risky.

He feinted to the left and then made a diving roll to the right. This brought him close enough to the gargoyles guarding the civilian that he could take one of them out. This so enraged the remaining guard that he too turned to tackle Van Helsing. He managed to dive out of the way again managing to slice the gargoyle as he rolled. He came up onto his feet and looking at the civilian yelled, "Go. Now" The man hesitated for a moment and Van Helsing was going to yell again, when a swipe from a gargoyle made Van Helsing have to pull his attention back to the fight. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man move and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd give him a few moments to get out of the alley and then he'd make his own break. He continued to duck and strike, mentally counting the minutes.

He was maneuvering himself for a clear exit when the sound of a car horn filled alley. The gargoyles howled and covered their ears, backing away slightly. Van Helsing took advantage of their distraction to make a break for it. He sprinted down the alley and was surprised to see a car at the end of the street with its door open. He heard the driver say, "For god sakes, get in!"

Van Helsing threw himself into the passenger's seat and slammed the door. Looking over at the driver, he realized it was the civilian he had just rescued. The man looked at him with fearful eyes and "What the hell are those things?"

Van Helsing just looked grim and barked "Gargoyles. And unless you want to spend some more time with them I suggest you step on it." This seemed to shake the man out of his momentary freeze and he stepped on the gas and screeched out of the alley. He drove randomly for a while, always looking in his rearview mirror for pursuit. When he finally reached a brightly lit part of town, he pulled over and looked over at his passenger and savior.

The man had his eyes closed and was resting his head against the seat. He was bleeding in a couple of places and clearly looked the worse for wear. Carl had to admit that if the man hadn't just rescued him, he would probably think he was a criminal or something. He did look rather disreputable with his longish dark hair and leather jacket. But good looking in a "bad boy" kind of way. _Bet he never had any problems getting dates._ Carl's eyes went wide – where the hell had THAT thought come from?

As if sensing Carl's discomfort, the man opened his eyes. He looked over with a vaguely amused smile on his face. "So wondering if maybe you've picked up a criminal?" He watched carefully and saw a blush creep over the man's face. This one definitely didn't have a poker face.

Carl cringed slightly as he felt a blush redden his face. Does this man read minds or something? He tried to recover by shrugging and saying "Actually I was wondering about what happened back there. You said those things were gargoyles – what the hell are they doing in the city? I always thought gargoyles were those decorative statues people put on churches".

Van Helsing cocked his head and gave an assessing look at the man beside him. For someone who had just escaped being gutted by monsters, he was surprisingly calm. Moreover, instead of just running and leaving him to his own devices, he had gotten to his car and given them both a means of escape. Van Helsing gave another good look at the "victim". Reddish blonde hair and blue eyes in a rather pale face. Not bad looking in a slightly geeky way. He was wearing a dress shirt and slacks – clearly not the usual dress of people in that neighborhood. Van Helsing wondered what he had been doing there.

Carl watched the dark haired man as waited for an answer to his question. He could feel the man checking him out and felt a strange desire to straighten his hair and clothes. He knew he was filthy from the alley and he could feel his hair sticking up in spikes. He must look completely pathetic. Trying to rescue himself from his embarrassment, he decided that he should probably get the name of the man who rescued him.

He cleared his throat nervously and said, "I suppose introductions are in order. I mean we did just survive a gargoyle attack together so we should at least know each other's names, right?" He held out his hand and smiled nervously, not really sure what the proper etiquette in this situation is. Thinking of that, he had to fight the insane urge to giggle. _Wonder if Emily Post has a section on what to do after you've been attacked by monsters and rescued by a dark haired stranger?_

Van Helsing watched his companion get more and more twitchy. I suppose I can't really blame him. He has just faced down a nest of gargoyles and that's probably not something he's ever dreamed of doing in his pencil pushing life. He grunted and said "Name's Van Helsing" He didn't bother to shake Carl's hand.

Carl's smile faltered when Van Helsing didn't take his hand. He embarrassedly tucked his hand back in his lap and said "Mine's Carl. Carl Hamilton." He turned and stared out the front window. _So now what happens?_ His companion didn't seem inclined to tell him much about those things that had grabbed him but Carl's curiosity was killing him. _Maybe if I just wait him out?_

Carl continued to look around and realized that he knew where he was. From here he could get to the highway and finally get home. God, he had no idea when he left the house this morning that it was going to turn into such a disastrous day. He realized that at this point, he wanted to go home and go to bed far more then he wanted to know more about those monsters. He turned to speak to Van Helsing when he realized something was wrong.

Van Helsing had closed his eyes to stave off the dizziness. Between yesterday and today, he had lost a lot of blood and he desperately needed rest. He also knew he needed to bandage his new wounds and the thought was enough to make him groan. He was just so tired!

Carl leaned towards his companion "Hey, Van Helsing? You don't look so good. Those cuts look pretty bad, I'm going to take you to a hospital, ok? He turned away to start the car when a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

"No hospital" Van Helsing ground out. "Just take me home, I'll be alright" Carl looked at him skeptically. "Van Helsing, you are covered in blood and that can't be good. You need medical attention and someone to watch over you to make sure you don't go into shock. You need to be in a hospital"

Van Helsing just shook his head "Fine, I'll walk from here." He made to move toward the door but he knew it was an idle threat. There was no way he could walk a couple of blocks, let alone back to his apartment. And in the condition he was in, no cab would ever pick him up.

Carl, however, fell for it and quickly reached out and grabbed his arm. "Alright, no hospital. But I can't just drop you off somewhere and leave you alone. You could bleed to death or go into shock. Is there anyone who can look after you tonight?" Van Helsing just let a bitter snort. Carl huffed and said "OK, I'll take that as a no. " He thought about it and realized there was only one thing he could do. "I know I'm probably going to regret this but you can stay with me tonight. I'll keep an eye on you and if you haven't died in the night, I'll take you home – ok?"

Van Helsing was surprised. This was the last offer he was expecting. Still, he was really exhausted and the thought of having someone take care of him was too tempting to turn down, "Fine. If that will make you happy" he said gruffly. He closed his eyes and settled back down in the seat to doze.

Carl looked at his new house guest and sighed. Just for once, it would be nice to have someone appreciate the offers he made.


	3. Chapter Three

By the time Carl pulled up in front of his house, he was exhausted. He wanted nothing more then to crawl into bed and pull the covers over his head but that wasn't exactly an option. He looked over at the sleeping man in the passenger seat and wondered again if he had made a horrible mistake in bringing him here. After all, the man was apparently on familiar terms with monsters. Was he inviting that kind of trouble into his life by taking this man home with him?

He studied the features of his houseguest and had to admit he looked rather peaceful and almost boyish in his sleep. But the man was hardly an innocent – not with the work he did. He remembered the brutal efficiency he displayed in fighting the gargoyles and shuddered slightly. He definitely didn't want to get on his bad side.

Still, he could have sworn he caught a look of relief when Carl offered to take care of him for the night. Didn't this man have any kind of backup? Remembering his negative response when Carl asked him if there was anyone to look after him, he realized that there wasn't. Carl felt a real pang of sympathy over that. This man must live a really hard existence and to have no one there to help him… that was wrong. This man fought terrible nightmare creatures that most people never even imagined were real and he did it with no one there to patch him up when the dust settled. Carl straightened up as much as the car allowed and made a pledge to himself. _Tonight he gets taken care of like he deserves._

Gently he reached over to wake the slumbering man. He touched Van Helsing's arm and then everything went a little crazy. Van Helsing, sensing someone near, grabbed Carl and yanked him down. He wrapped his hand around Carl's throat and began to squeeze.

Carl, who wasn't prepared for this, began to panic and tried to flail. However, there wasn't a lot of room in the car and so he banged his elbow painfully on the dashboard. The gear shift was digging into his belly, adding to his pain and he began to think he was going to die right here in his driveway.

Complete awareness returned to Van Helsing and he realized he was chocking the man who had offered to take him home and patch him up. He immediately released his chock hold and Carl drew in a gasping breath. Unfortunately for Van Helsing, the defensive move had opened up one of his gashes and he groaned with pain.

Carl's head was spinning. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins and he couldn't stop shaking. He sprawled across the man who had just attacked him and panted, unable to gather his shaken mind. What the hell had just happened? He continued to lie on Van Helsing's chest and a small portion of his brain noted that it was really quite hard and well muscled. Carl's mind stopped racing for a moment. _What? Where the hell did that come from?_

However, with his brain having come back from its panic induced vacation, it now began to function in a much more practical manner. And the first thing it noticed was that he felt something wet against his cheek and that something was likely blood. This man was injured and he had gotten injured saving Carl. That he almost undid that work just now was something he'd deal with later.

Straightening back up, Carl pulled himself together and said rather anti-climatically "Well, we're here." Van Helsing looked for the first time out the windshield and realized that they were sitting in the driveway of a rather large house. When Carl had said he'd be taking him back to his place, he had been expecting a small apartment somewhere. This was… well, rather impressive. Apparently his geek was a little higher up the food chain then he had thought. _Looks like this night was going to end a lot better then expected._

Carl got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side. He had a feeling that the Hunter was going to need some help getting into the house. Van Helsing had opened the door and was levering himself out when Carl reached his side. At first the offer of support was refused but then Van Helsing swayed dangerously when he let go of the car. He decided that pride was not so important since keeping it would mean spending the night out here in the driveway.

The pair lurched its way to the door and Carl propped Van Helsing against the wall so he could open the door. He fumbled a bit with the keys since he was still a bit shaky from the adventure in the car…. Hell, he was still a bit shaky from the whole night! Finally getting the door open, he retrieved the injured man and they began their staggering progress into the house. Carl mentally reviewed his options and decided to put him in the guest bedroom across from his room. It had its own bathroom and was close enough that Carl could hear him if he needed anything. Not that Carl was expecting to get much sleep tonight. Thanks to Van Helsing's freak-out in the car, Carl was now wide awake and likely to stay that way for hours. He sighed and maneuvered them both towards the stairs.

Van Helsing looked around at the spacious foyer with its wood paneling and silently whistled to himself. His little geek was definitely very well off which really made him wonder what the hell he was doing in that part of town? Perhaps, geekboy had some interests that he couldn't fulfill in the classier part of town. His train of thought got derailed when they reached the bottom of the stair and the jolt of trying to climb the first step jarred his ribs. He bit back a groan, trying not to come across as pathetic but as they continued to climb, the dizziness returned and he couldn't help but moan.

Carl strained to look at Van Helsing's face. He knew that climbing the stairs was causing the man pain but there wasn't any suitable place for him to sleep on the first floor. His grandparent's house had been designed for formal entertaining and Carl had never bothered to make any changes when he moved into it. He sighed and continued to haul the man up the stairs. "Come on, once we make it up the stairs its all downhill from there. " He tried to sound encouraging but the fact was that he was starting to buckle under the weight of the man and he was wishing he had started that weight training program he had been thinking about. Both men heaved a huge sigh of relief when they reached the top of the stairs and Carl once again propped him against the wall while they both took a breather.

Van Helsing was grateful for the break. His head had been swimming as they climbed the stair and he really didn't want to round off the disastrous evening by passing out on Carl. He looked over at the man from beneath his lashes and had to admit that the guy was full of surprises. Here he was hauling him up the stairs to put him up for the night and this after getting nearly strangled to death by his "guest". He gave the man a closer appraisal and decided that he wasn't half bad looking. He had a better body then you'd expect from a geek… _and a good thing too since he's hauling my ass around._ _Wouldn't necessarily mind a roll in the sack with him…_ Van Helsing brought that thought to an abrupt halt. Not only was he in no shape for anything like that, this guy was doing him a big favor by taking him in. And that he was still willing to do it after being half strangled meant Van Helsing should just keep his hands to himself. Guy probably was straight anyway.

Carl was trying to catch his breath and get ready for the final push down the hall. Van Helsing was a big guy and it was clear he was starting to fade. He was going to have to get him into bed soon before he just collapsed right here. He opened his eyes and looked over at Van Helsing. The man looked a bit pale and he had his eyes shut – no doubt in pain. Carl felt another rush of sympathy and was determined that at least for tonight; this man was going to see a little tenderness. He pushed himself away from the wall and said "OK, let's get you into bedroom and patched up so you can get some rest." He grabbed Van Helsing's arm and slung it over his shoulder. Staggering a moment under the weight, he recovered his balance and the two of them headed down the hall. Reaching one of the doors, he turned the knob and opened the door.

Maneuvering them through the door proved tricky but eventually they made it through. Van Helsing tried to steer them toward the bed but Carl stopped him. "No, chair first. Let me get you cleaned up and then you can get into bed. Otherwise you'll get blood all over the sheets and that will make for an unpleasant place to sleep.

Van Helsing just shrugged. Wouldn't be the first time he had bled all over his bed. Still, he was a guest so he might as well go along with Carl's wishes. Carl lowered him down into the chair and headed towards the door. "I'll need to get some supplies. I'll just be a minute." With that he moved quickly out of the room.

Van Helsing allowed himself the luxury of a groan. God, he ached all over and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open. To distract himself, he decided to look around the room. The whole thing was decorated in what could only be described as "tasteful" furnishings. The furniture was all some kind of rich wood and there were paintings on the walls that were refined and no doubt expensive. Van Helsing was starting to feel way out of his depths. He began to notice just how scruffy he currently was with his stubble and his leather jacket. Bet Carl's family would be horrified to know that their son had brought home a stray like him. He snorted at the image of Carl presenting him to his family. _Nope, not exactly the type to bring home to meet folks. _For some reason that thought vaguely depressed him.

Carl came rushing back through the door with a basin and a bunch of supplies. "I'll just need to get some water and then we'll begin." He dumped the supplies on the floor by Van Helsing and then headed into the bathroom. He ran the water until it got hot and then filled the basin. He then slowly headed back over to where the wounded man sat. Van Helsing had his eyes closed and Carl took a moment to look the man over. He looked exhausted and it was clear that he was in a lot of pain. But even with all of that, the man still looked incredibly powerful and well… alive. Sitting in this stuffy room, he seemed to just make everything look dull and lifeless. Carl sighed, he knew he should do something about the décor of this place but the last time he tried to hire a decorator, they had talked about "exciting fabrics" and "fabulous accent pieces" and he had run away in fear. But looking at it now he realized that this was all way too fussy for this man. He really should do something about it… _what the hell am I thinking? Its not like he's moving in. He's here for one night and then he will be out of here and out of your life. _For some reason this made him depressed.

He pulled himself together and got back to the job at hand. He put the bowl down on the floor and eyed the man assessingly. "First things first. We're going to have to get your jacket and shirt off. " He reached for Van Helsing's arm but the man just barked at him to leave him be. "Fine, do it yourself. But I was just trying to make this a little less painful for you." Carl crossed his arms over his chest with a slight pout.

Van Helsing looked at the man before him and found himself noticing that pouting lower lip. He felt a stirring of desire despite his current state. _Knock it off. Remember, you are just a stray that's here's for the night. _To distract himself he began the painful process of removing his jacket and shirt. The jacket wasn't too bad but the shirt almost proved to be his undoing. He moaned in pain and felt hands come to help him. He groaned painfully when the shirt was pulled over his head but at last it was done. He sank back in the chair and closed his eyes in relief.

Carl eyed the man before him worriedly. The gash across his ribs looked pretty bad and he had a wound on his shoulder that wasn't too much better. Add to that the blood loss and Carl was beginning to think maybe he should have insisted on taking him to the hospital. But it was too late for that now so he'd best get started. He dipped a washcloth in the basin and rung it out. He then began to wash away the blood and dirt off Van Helsing's chest. He found himself admiring the well-defined chest and blushed fiercely. What was going on with him? Surely it hadn't been THAT long since he had been with someone? Clearly this was just a side effect of all he had been through today. Yes, that must be it. The combination of stress and adrenaline was just wreaking havoc with his libido. Didn't people usually have a heightened sex drive after a near death experience? He nodded to himself and dropped the washcloth back in the basin. Best thing to do was to finish this up quickly and get away from Van Helsing. Surely a little distance would take care of this.

Quickly picking up the bandages, he said briskly "Ok, we'll just bandage you up and then get you into bed. I'm sure rest right now is the best possible thing for you" He started to unroll a bandage and realized he was going to need Van Helsing to lean forward so he could wrap the bandage around his ribs. "I hate to say this but I'm going to need you to move. If you don't lean forward, I'm not going to be able to bandage your ribs." Van Helsing groaned but complied. Unfortunately for Carl, this brought Van Helsing much closer to him and he found this somewhat disturbing. He could feel Van Helsing's breath against his neck and it was proving rather arousing. His hands trembled a bit as he bandaged him up and he heaved a huge sigh of relief when he finished. He leaned back a bit and said, "OK, you can lean back now" He knew he was flushed but he was planning to play it off as just the nature reaction to such a stressful day.

Van Helsing eased himself back and looked at Carl. The man was looking a bit flustered and he was biting his lip. It was actually rather endearing. It had been a long time since Van Helsing had been around someone who wasn't a street tough like him. _Stop it; this one is not for you _he reminded himself sternly. He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. Just a few minutes more and Carl would leave and he could go to bed. Sooner he got some sleep, sooner he could get out here and away from temptation. Carl lived an upscale life and a scruffy Hunter like him had no place in it. He would enjoy his one night of luxury and then head on his way. If nothing else, he was going to have to head to HQ to get his weapons fixed. He sighed to himself. Sometimes he really hated being a Hunter.

Carl continued bandaging Van Helsing with a single-minded focus. He was determined not embarrass himself in front of this worldly man. He would finish this up and then head down to his lab to work through his frustration. He imagined tonight was going to be a productive night. He taped off the last bandage and slowly got up. His legs had grown stiff from kneeling and he wobbled a bit for a moment. Van Helsing reached out a hand to steady him and Carl blushed a deeper red at the contact. He really needed to get out of here.

"Well, that should hold you for tonight. Do you need my help in getting over to the bed?" He was rather hoping the man would say no so he wouldn't have to make contact with him again but luck was not with him. Van Helsing swayed when he got to his feet and Carl quickly grabbed for him. He pulled the man tightly against him and began to drag him toward the bed. _Just breath. Just breathe and get him on the bed. Then you can flee to your lab where you are safe. _When they reached the bed, he lowered the Hunter onto the bed. "There you go. You get some rest and I'll be by to check on you later." He moved quickly away from the bed and bent over to gather up all the supplies.

Van Helsing looked over to where Carl was bending over and found himself admiring the view enormously. The man did have a particularly fine ass. He quickly looked away when Carl straightened and turned. _No point in getting caught admiring the scenery – bad form that._ He grinned to himself and settled back on the bed.

Carl gave one final look at his unexpected houseguest. "Well, sleep well. I'll stop by in a couple of hours to make sure you are OK. He started to walk away and then realized that Van Helsing wouldn't know where the light switch was. "There's a light switch on the wall by the bed. Is there anything else I can get you?" As much as he wanted to get away from Van Helsing and the weird feelings he was stirring in him, he also felt awkward about leaving the wounded man.

Van Helsing could see Carl's indecision and said, "I'm fine. Right now, all I want is sleep". Carl nodded and said "Well then, I guess I'll leave you to it." He walked to the doorway and then turned and said, "Sleep well, Van Helsing" Then he closed the door and was gone.

Van Helsing looked at the door for a moment and then shook his head. _That one is way out of your league, Gabriel. Don't go mistaking kindness for interest. He's no doubt acting out of some noble obligation of the rich. _

Feeling a wave of tiredness wash over him, he lifted his arms and unstrapped the tojo holsters from them. Putting them on the bedside table, he turned out the lights and settled down to sleep. It had been a long and strange evening – even for him.


	4. Chapter Four

**_Where Carl learns that curiousity has consequences and Van Helsing learns to appreciate the good life..._**

Carl closed the door behind him and sighed. _What an unbelievable day this has been! Really, a caring Universe would give a guy some kind of warning when things are about to go to hell!_ Remembering the grotesque creatures that had grabbed him, he shuddered. Going to Hell was an apt term indeed.

Realizing that he was aching from the various abuses he had taken tonight, he decided to shower and change before heading down to the lab. Walking into his bedroom he looked at the mess that he had left on his frantic rush to get to his meeting with Langdon. God, that seemed like a lifetime ago. He stripped off his filthy clothes and tossed them on the bed. He knew he should be neater but right now he just couldn't bring himself to care.

He walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on. Waiting for the water to heat up, he glanced at himself in the mirror and noticed the bruises caused by Van Helsing's attack in the car. He winced and made a mental note to himself not to try waking the man unless he was out of striking range. He then turned away from the mirror and climbed into the shower.

The shower was absolute heaven after the trials of the day. This bathroom was the only part of the house that Carl had done anything to and it was his one real indulgence. The shower was large and could comfortably hold three (not that Carl ever had that kind of company) and was designed with multiple showerheads so that he could work out the kinks that long days in the lab could create. Right now it was currently pummeling out the results of his encounters with refugees from a church roof and one very easily startled Monster Hunter.

After ½ hour of soaking, Carl decided he was ready to get out. Grabbing a towel off the heated rack (if one is going to be indulgent, why not go all out?) he briskly toweled himself off. Then, wrapping the towel around his waist, he walked back out into his bedroom. He walked over to his bureau and pulled out some fresh clothes. Pulling on a pair of jeans, he smiled for the first time in hours. This is why he could never work in an office. Grabbing a button up shirt from the closet, he pulled it on and headed towards the door.

He paused for a moment and looked at the door to the guest room where Van Helsing slept. He was still finding it hard to believe that someone like the Hunter existed outside of books and movies. But he was real; Carl had the bruises to show for it. And to think, all of this happened because Carl had wanted a cheeseburger and fries! _And a milkshake_ a tiny voice in his head chimed in. Carl shook his head, remember the pub he had eaten in and then decided that in light of the day he had suffered, he was well within his rights to have a bowl of ice cream.

He happily headed downstairs to the kitchen where a ½ gallon of chocolate chocolate chip was waiting for him. He served himself a big bowl of it and sat down at the kitchen table to eat it. Ice cream was one of Carl's favorite treats and it was the only thing that could be guaranteed to be in the house at all times. He happily devoured the bowlful and childishly licked the bowl.

The ice cream had put him in a much better mood and he decided that he would check on his guest before heading into the lab and tackling his latest problem. Wandering back up the stairs, his mind was occupied with energy outputs, rotation ratios and other matters and he was all the way to Van Helsing's door before he pulled himself back to the present. Easing the door open quietly, he entered; keeping in mind that this was not someone you wanted to approach carelessly.

Keeping a careful distance from the bed, he tried to access his current guest. The man was laying on his back and seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough. Carl felt an overwhelming urge to push a stray lock away from the man's face but restrained himself. He had already been strangled once tonight and that was enough.

He started to turn to leave when he noticed something on the bedside table. He realized they were the holsters that Van Helsing had been wearing on his forearms when Carl had cleaned him up. He had assumed they were guns of some kind but looking closer he realized they were something else.

Carl suffered from incurable curiosity (a trait he claimed made him a superior inventor) and the siren call of these strange devices could not be resisted. He glanced over at the sleeping man and then ever so slowly reached out and picked them up. He pulled one from the holster and realized it must be the weapon Van Helsing had used on the gargoyles. He looked at it closer and was about to trigger it when a sound came from the bed.

Startled, Carl froze and then realized that it was merely Van Helsing moving in his sleep. Still, Carl realized that if he wanted to examine these things closer, he was going to have to leave the room with them. He fought briefly with his conscience since Van Helsing had not given him permission to touch them but in the end, curiosity won out and he snuck from the room with holsters in hand.

He headed down to his lab and turned on the lights. Unlike the rest of the house which was all antiques and old fashioned, this was state of the art and gleaming. Several computers were lined up along the counters and equipment of all shapes and sizes was covering every available surface. Tucked in the back corner was Carl's desk, buried in papers, trade publications and reference books.

He walked over to one of the work counters and set down the holsters. He removed one of the weapons and could see right away that it was damaged. Probably from one of the gargoyles. He set it down carefully and took out the other weapon. This one seemed to be intact and Carl very carefully examined every inch of it before determining where the triggering mechanisms were. He held it very gingerly by the handle and triggered the weapon. Blades shot out from the center and began whirling in a very deadly fashion. Carl looked at it with mingled horror and fascination before releasing the trigger. The blades slowed and retracted into the center again.

An interesting design and certainly effective for the kind of work its made for. Triggering the weapon again, he watched it with more of a clinical eye. While the weapon had proven sufficient against the gargoyles, it was clear that it wasn't effective enough, judging from the one that was damaged. The gargoyles had particularly tough bodies. Carl had tried to hit one with a trash barrel and the thing had just collapsed on contact with the hard body. He wondered what the blades were made of… and it seemed to him that the rotation ratio was a bit slow for slicing through things as tough as a gargoyle….

Carl didn't have a moment's struggle with his conscious this time. He pulled open a drawer and began to pull out tools. He then began to take apart the weapons to get a better look at them.

Van Helsing woke the next morning and had a moment of disorientation. This was clearly not his bed or his apartment. And while he had woken up in strange places before, they generally didn't include four-poster beds and flower arrangements on the dresser. Fortunately increased consciousness also brought a return of memory and he realized he was in Carl's guest room. Unfortunately increased consciousness also brought with it the need to piss and it was with much groaning and cursing that he got out of bed and headed over to the bathroom. Turning on the light switch he looked at the bathroom and realized it was twice the size of his kitchen. Still, nature called so he abandoned his thoughts on the lives of the rich and took care of business. Looking in the mirror, he decided that a shower was in order and turned on the water. The air was soon filling with steam and Van Helsing had moment of sourness as he thought of his own apartment with its uncertain water temperature and pressure. _Ah well, enjoy it while you can. Soon as geekboy knows you are up, he'll be packing you up and sending you on your way._ Fighting a sense of disappointment, he stepped carefully into the shower and let the water wash over him.

The hot water did wonders for his mood and went a long way towards easing some of his aches. He probed gently at his shoulder and realized it was healing well. The ribs still hurt like the bugger but it had at least closed in the night. He'd need to stay in bed for a few more days but he wasn't likely to lose any more blood.

He finished washing up and turned off the water. Grabbing a towel off the rack, he dried himself off and dropped the towel on the floor. He started to walk out of the bathroom and then stopped. He turned and picked up the towel and hung it back on the rack. _No point in being a sloppy houseguest. _

He walked naked back into the bedroom and grabbed his clothes. The shirt was ruined and he decided not to bother. Maybe Carl could lend him something to wear home. He pulled on his jeans and reached to the bedside table to grab his tojos. His hand froze when he realized that the weapons were gone.

He sat stunned for a moment but then anger overcame him. Carl must of have taken them. There was no one else in the house. He stormed out of the bedroom and pounded on Carl's bedroom door. When there was no answer, he wretched open the door. The bed still held the clothes that Carl had worn the night before. Clearly the man hadn't slept here.

He marched down the hall and headed down the stairs. He looked around for a moment and tried to figure out where the treacherous little weasel had gone. He thought he heard music from somewhere in the back of the house and he headed off toward it. His tracking led him into what looked like a lab. And there, slumped sound asleep at the counter was the weasel himself.

"Carl!" He bellowed angrily. Carl, startled from a sound sleep, proceeded to fall off the chair he had been sitting on. Carl's sudden disappearance from view revealed the tojos laying out next to their holsters. Van Helsing shot across the room and scooped up the weapons.

Carl, blearily blinking his eyes, picked himself up off the floor. This was not a good way to start a day. He looked at the clearly irate Hunter with confusion until he saw the weapons that he was holding. He realized he was going to need to talk fast before the Hunter really lost it.

"I'm sorry, it just that I saw that one of them was damaged and so I brought it down here to fix it and while I was fixing it, I realized that power source was really archaic so I decided that I really couldn't just leave it like that so I made a few modifications which then made me realize that the blades were now no longer sufficient to the new torque ratios so I made adjustments to them…" He trailed off at the alarming shade of red that Van Helsing had turned. He gulped and began slowly backing away.

Van Helsing stared at Carl with a mixture of horror and rage. "You did WHAT?" He advanced on the smaller man who continued to back up with an absolutely terrified look on his face.

Carl swallowed hard and tried to make his mouth work. "I made a few modifications. I swear the weapons are just fine. In fact they are better then fine. Trust me, I know what I'm doing". He had backed himself up against a cabinet and looked wildly about for an avenue of escape.

Van Helsing pinned Carl to the cabinet and said "If you have damaged these in any way, I'm going to do things to you that will make you wish you had never been born.

Carl gulped and said, "Please, just try them out. I swear I've only made them better." He looked pleadingly at the Hunter and once again cursed the curiosity that always got him into so much trouble.

Van Helsing glared at the terrified man for a few moments and then stepped back. He looked at the tojo for a moment and then handed it to Carl. "Here, you use it. If it's going to blow up or cut someone's hand off, I'd rather it be yours."

Carl thought to protest this but looking at the angry face of the Hunter decided now was not the time. He took the tojo with a shaking hand and stepped towards a cinder block he had used earlier to test the weapon. He triggered the weapon and then brought it down towards the cinderblock. Van Helsing let out a cry of warning but the tojo blade just sliced through the block like it was a piece of wood. Carl then stopped the blade and turned back towards Van Helsing.

Van Helsing was stunned. The tojo could never have done that before. He looked at where Carl was standing, fear written all over him. It appears that the geek really did know what he was doing. He triggered the tojo that was in his own hand and noticed that the whine was a much higher pitch then before. Clearly Carl had found a way to speed up the blades. He stopped the blade and looked at Carl again. He was biting his lower lip and Van Helsing found himself wanting to give the man a hug to make up for yelling at him. The man really was phenomenally cute, like some loveable puppy.

Carl could see the anger draining out of Van Helsing and began to relax a little. Apparently he wasn't going to die just yet. He walked very cautiously over to the Hunter and handed him the other weapon. He decided that an apology probably wasn't a bad idea.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken the weapons without your permission. You are clearly very attached to them and waking up and finding them gone must have been pretty scary. After all your life depends on them." Carl ducked his head in embarrassment and mumbled, "I promise I'll never do anything like that again".

Van Helsing looked at the squirming man and again had to stifle the urge to hug him. He looked so much like a little boy who had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He just sighed and said, "I'll let it slide. Just this once you understand. Since you fixed them and all." He suddenly realized that thanks to Carl's inability to restrain his curiosity, he no longer needed to make a trip back to headquarters. He grinned and said, "You know geekboy. You may have done me a favor. Thanks to your fix-it job, you've saved me getting my ass chewed by my boss"

Carl looked up with an eager to please look on his face. "Really? That's great. You know, if you like, I can draw up schematics about the modifications I did. Really, you would think that with the things you are fighting, they'd at least equip you with modern weaponry. "

Van Helsing just grimaced. "These are not exactly "moving with the times" kind of people, Carl. If it worked in the Middle Ages, then it works now." He reached across the counter to grab the holsters for the tojos and let out a groan.

Carl immediately moved to Van Helsing's side. "Are you ok? Maybe you shouldn't be out of bed? You lost a lot of blood last night, you probably should be resting." As he spoke he examined Van Helsing's bandages looking to see if he was bleeding again.

Van Helsing watched Carl fuss with a certain amount of amusement. It was fascinating watching the way this man's mind jumped from one subject to the next, seemingly without pause. Still, he had to admit, now that the anger had drained away he was feeling remarkably tired. When he got back to his place, he was really going to need to take it easy for a couple of days.

Carl frowned as he looked at his dark haired companion and made a decision. "Come on, Van Helsing. I'm getting you back to bed. You really shouldn't be up and about" He grabbed Van Helsing's arm and slung it over his shoulder. He then proceeded to drag the man towards the door.

Van Helsing was surprised. Get him back to bed? He was supposed to be leaving now. One night's stay and then it was back to his own sordid little world where rich little geeks never come. That was the game plan so why was Carl changing it now?

"Look, if this is because of the weapons, forget it. You managed to fix them and I said I'd let it slide. You don't have to do this". He tried planting his feet but this only ended up causing him pain. He tried biting back the groan but wasn't completely successful.

Carl, hearing the groan said, "I'm doing this because it's clear you are in no shape to be running around anywhere. I'm going to put you back to bed and you are going to stay here until you are well enough to deal with those nightmare things that are running around the city. I don't know what your superiors are thinking leaving you alone out here without backup. Its positively criminal!"

Van Helsing couldn't resist a bitter smile. He was out here on his own because his so-called superiors couldn't stand him. Neither could his fellow Hunters. He didn't play by the rules and he didn't kiss ass. Not the way to win friends and influence people.

While he was musing on the state of his life, Carl had managed to drag him to the foot of the stairs. Carl eyed them - they looked rather daunting and he remembered how bad they were the last time.

Van Helsing looked at Carl and said with a smirk, "Well, what's the problem geekboy?" He knew he had hit a soft spot by the way Carl stiffened.

Carl snapped "Don't call me geekboy. I have a name. " He was unconsciously pouting and Van Helsing found himself developing an instant addiction to the sight. He decided that while he was here he was going to see just how often he could get Carl to do it. He smirked to himself as Carl dragged him up the stairs.

He could have made the stairs by himself – not gracefully but he would have made it – but Carl seemed bound and determined to help him and Van Helsing couldn't bring himself to stop him. He couldn't remember the last time someone had taken such pains for him before and while he hated to admit it, he did enjoy it. So he allowed himself to be dragged along and listened to Carl promising to bring him breakfast as soon as he got him settled. All and all, it wasn't so bad.

Carl breathed a sigh of relief when he got the Hunter back to his room. While it wasn't as bad as last night, it still took a lot out of him getting him back. He resolved to start that weight lifting program as soon as his guest left. Getting him over to the bed he helped the man sit down. He checked him over quickly for any signs that his wounds had reopened but everything looked fine. Really fine actually. God the man had amazing muscle definition. Carl shook himself. He really needed to stop this. He straightened up quickly and said "You lay back and I'll go make you some breakfast. Hope eggs over easy and toast works for you because I'm not much of a cook".

Van Helsing just nodded and said "that's fine. I'm not much of a fussy eater. If it doesn't fight back, I'll call it a meal." Carl looked at Van Helsing for a moment, as if considering if he was serious, then mentally shrugged and then said "OK, I'll be back in a little bit."

Van Helsing watched the man retreat from the room and smiled to himself. _So he really is serious about taking care of me. Works for me. Wonder how often I can get him to bend over for things…_


	5. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Carl stood in front of the door to the guest room and began to wonder if maybe he had gone a little overboard. Perhaps he should lose the fruit? After all, it wasn't like this was some kind of romantic gesture. He was bringing the man breakfast because he was too injured to get it himself. He started to head back down stairs and then stopped. This was ridiculous. If he went back down stairs the food would be cold. He'll just bring it all in and act casual about the whole thing.

Having found his resolve, he juggled the tray and opened the door. Van Helsing was sitting propped up on the bed with the blankets covering his lower body. His chest however, was gloriously uncovered and was currently being highlighted by the sun streaming in the window. Carl unconsciously licked his lips at the sight and then mentally gave himself a good hard shake. _Stay focused here, Carl. Its bad enough you are carrying in a tray that just screams domestic without getting all gooey-eyed at the sight of a well toned, bare chest. _

He forced himself to give a cheery smile and said, "Here you go." He plunked the tray onto Van Helsing's lap and backed away a few steps. "I'll just leave you to eat and then come back for the tray later" He started to turn to leave when a thought occurred to him. He turned back toward Van Helsing and said, "I just realized something. If you are going to stay for a couple of days, you are going to need some things. I could swing by your place and pick stuff up if you like?"

Van Helsing raised an eyebrow at that. That was quite an offer coming from Carl. Especially since he was quite certain that Carl had never set foot in the lower side of town before. It would be quite an education for the rich boy to see how the other half lived. And to be honest, he did need to get a few things if he was going to be away for a couple of days. For starters he needed to check in and he would much prefer to do that via email and that would mean having his laptop. And he had left his crossbow there which was not a big deal when he was only going to be gone a couple of hours but was a much bigger deal if he was gone for a couple of days. He shrugged and decided to let Carl go.

"My keys are in my jacket. I'll need to make you a list of where to find the things I'll need. Most of them are not in plain sight." Van Helsing began to mentally review all of the things he'd want transported to him.

Carl was already pulling a pad of paper from his back pocket. Ideas were always striking him at the oddest of times so he had gotten use to carrying a notebook wherever he went. He handed the pad and pen to Van Helsing who gave him a momentary odd look but took them without comment. Carl blushed a little. He knew he came off as a big geek but he really couldn't help it sometimes.

Van Helsing began to write up a list of instructions while munching on a piece of toast. He paused in his writing to grab the cup of coffee and for the first time really looked at the tray. Carl had gone all out. There was coffee and juice, toast with butter and jelly, the eggs and even some fruit. The only thing missing was a rose in a vase. He looked mockingly over at Carl and was rewarded with a lovely pink blush. Carl fidgeted adorably and Van Helsing couldn't resist teasing him.

"You are quite the little homemaker aren't you? What comes next? Homemade cookies" Carl's blush turned scarlet and he squirmed a bit more. "So tell me, can I expect this treatment every morning? If so I may just have to extend my stay"

Carl wanted the floor to swallow him up. He was looking like the world's biggest idiot in front of the worldly hunter. He tried to recover a bit of his tattered dignity by saying "Keep this attitude up and it will be bread and water for the next couple of days" He rose majestically, and said "I've got a couple of things to tend to so I'll be back in 15 minutes for the list". With that he sailed out of the room without a backwards glance.

Van Helsing just chuckled. He recognized a face saving exit when he saw it. Still, it was rather nice of Carl to go through so much effort. He had clearly had been trying to make sure he brought something he'd like. And he was offering to go to Van Helsing's place to get his stuff. Seeing what happened to Carl the last time he crossed out of his own side of town, that was no small offer. The guy was going out of his way for him so he really should be nicer to him. But somehow he just couldn't resist teasing him. Between the pouts and the blushes, it was just too enjoyable. The man really was endearing in a geeky way.

Van Helsing continued to chuckle and munch as he worked on his list. He wrote out detailed instructions on how to find the various things he had stashed and how best to transport some of the more dangerous items. He was just finishing up when Carl came back in the room.

Carl had spent the last 15 minutes attempting to pull himself together. Clearly he had come off badly with the whole breakfast debacle but he could recover now by being cool, collected and oh so detached. He entered the room casually as if nothing at all had happened earlier. For once he was grateful for all the society parties he had been dragged to that taught him the finer points of coolness in the face of social disgrace. He walked over to the bed and stopped, smiling faintly at the reclining man. Van Helsing gave him a mocking smirk but Carl determinedly ignored it. He nonchalantly moved the tray aside and sat down. "So do you have the list ready" He gazed at the Hunter as if it was really the most incidental of things.

Van Helsing looked at Carl and didn't really like what he saw. Carl had clearly retreated behind some polite mask and had become cold and remote. Van Helsing much preferred the slightly awkward geek he had rescued. He was determined to do what it took to bring him back.

Carl meanwhile continued to look politely at Van Helsing. He could see the wheels turning in the man's head and was beginning to get nervous. He just wanted to get the list and get out of there before he embarrassed himself again. He coughed slightly and said, "Do you need more time to put the list together. I can come back in bit if you like".

Van Helsing had to stifle the urge to smack Carl. Even his voice had taken on a distantly polite tone. He looked at Carl and in a disgruntled voice said, "No, it's done. You'll need to dig a couple of the things out of their hiding places but I've written it all down." He held out the pad of paper to Carl

Carl smiled that small, polite smile and was rewarded by a tightening of Van Helsing's lips. The man definitely didn't like not being in the driver's seat. Carl took the list and read it over quickly. It seemed pretty straightforward. "I'll just take your keys then and get going. You'll be ok until I get back?" Again, the question was asked in the most casual of tones, as if discussing the weather.

Van Helsing definitely wanted to smack Carl now. He smiled tightly back at Carl and said "I've been taking care of myself for years. I think I can handle myself now." He settled back against the headboard in a grumpy pose.

Carl wanted to jump up and down in triumph. He was definitely getting his own back now! But he hid it well and merely said "Then I'll just be going. Feel free to raid the kitchen if you get hungry." He picked up the tray and oh so casually walked from the room. It wasn't until he closed the door behind him that he allowed the look of victorious joy to show. He had finally come through a meeting with Van Helsing completely embarrassment-free. He moved down the hall with a jaunty step. This was going to be a good day.

Van Helsing watched Carl leave with a sour look on his face. He definitely had to do something about this polite, society version of Carl. Deciding that what he would need is some ammunition, he got slowly out of bed. Pulling on his jeans, he walked across the room and opened the door. Standing in the hallway, he tried to decide which would be the best place to start. Looking at the door across from him, he decided that he'd start in Carl's bedroom. He opened the door and walked in. It was clear Carl had still not come back in here since he got home last night. Looking around he made his plan of attack. He walked over to the bureau and began rifling through the drawers. Other then discovering that Carl wore boxers, this didn't yield a whole lot of information. He then looked under the bed but found nothing but a scrap of paper that turned out to be a receipt with a date and phone number written on it. Kneeling by the bed, he frowned. Surely there had to be something good to be found in here.

He headed over to the closet. Opening it, he looked through the clothes. Mostly comfortable button down shirts and khakis. Towards the back he found a number of suits and even a tuxedo. It was clear from their positions that they weren't worn very often. On the floor he found a couple of pairs of dress shoes and several pairs of sneakers. There was even a pair of hiking boots but it was obvious they hadn't been used in a while. Moving on to the shelves, he pulled down boxes which turned out to be full of books and weird bits of metal that were no doubt some of Carl's work. He even found one box full of trade magazines that had clearly been up there for a while. He was beginning to give up hope of finding anything of use when he pulled down a final box that had been shoved in the far back. This box was filled with photos and other mementos. Thinking this might have something of interest he took the box and walked out into the bedroom where he could really examine it.

Van Helsing took the box and sat with it on the bed. He dug out the first photo and saw it was of a classy looking blonde. She was good looking but there was something very cold about her. It reminded him of the way Carl had been behaving earlier. So this was the kind of woman Carl liked? He dug another photo out and this time it was one of the blonde with Carl. They were both in party clothes and had their arms around each other but the pose was formal and Carl looked stiff and uncomfortable. There was another one of two of them and while the clothes were less formal, the coldness was still there. Van Helsing frowned and put the pictures aside. He reached into the box again and pulled out another photo. This time it was of a brunette. While the woman had changed, the same cold glamour remained. There were several photos of this woman but none of them revealed any kind of real affection toward Carl. He dug in again, and came up with another blonde. Carl seemed a bit younger in this photo and his hair was a bit longer. Van Helsing grinned; it wasn't Carl's best look. As he continued to dig in the box, he found more pictures and mementoes from Carl's exes. Each and every one of them had the same highbrow female and a stiff looking Carl. He was about to give up when he pulled out a single photo at the bottom of the box. From the location and what Carl was wearing, this was clearly taken during his college days. What made the photo such a find was Carl's companion in the photo. It was of another man in his twenties and he was standing behind Carl with his arms around him and his chin resting on Carl's shoulder. Carl had slung one arm up around the man's neck and he was grinning happily at the camera. It was clear that the two men were very affectionate toward each other.

Van Helsing looked at the photo for a long time. _So, Carl had a boyfriend in his college days. That is certainly interesting._ Van Helsing was suddenly feeling a whole lot better but didn't allow himself to think too deeply as to why. Whistling to himself, he packed up the box and put it back in the closet where he found it. He then left the room and headed back to his own. Climbing into bed, he smiled widely. _Yep, things were looking up. _

Carl had pulled up to Van Helsing's apartment building and couldn't help but look around nervously. He knew he stood out like a sore thumb here and he couldn't help but remember the gargoyle attack of last night. Maybe this hadn't been such a bright idea. Still, he had told Van Helsing he would do this and if he went back empty handed he'd really look like an idiot. So he took a deep breath and got out of the car.

He walked into the building trying to look like he belonged here. He was glad not to run into anyone because he really didn't want to have to explain what he was doing here. He hurried up the stairs to Van Helsing's apartment and let himself in. He closed the door behind him and just stopped and looked. The apartment was small and was dominated by a bed that took up most of the main room. There was a tiny kitchenette and an equally tiny bathroom. Taking a few steps forward, Carl found his curiosity getting the best of him. _What harm would it do to poke around a little? _ He just wanted to learn a little bit more about the man he had staying at his house. _Really, it was a security thing. _

He started in the kitchen and found a couple of take-out cartons in the fridge and lots of beer. Poking around the cabinets turned up little and it was clear Van Helsing wasn't much of a cook. Moving into the main room, he started on the dresser. Again, not much in there of interest though he now knows that Van Helsing is a boxer man. Trying not to think about Van Helsing in his underwear, he looked through a pile of papers that sat on a small table. Most of it was notes about work and the occasional take away menu. Carl was about to give up in disgust when he noticed a magazine sticking out from under the bed. Kneeling down, he pulled it out and found himself holding a girlie magazine. He looked at it for a moment and then leafed through it. He stopped briefly at the centerfold but found himself strangely unaroused. He set the magazine down and lifted the blanket to see what else might be under there. He found more magazines and dragged them all out to look through. At first it was more girlie magazines but then Carl was surprised to find one with men in it. Digging through the pile, he found several more. _So, Van Helsing swings both ways. I would never have thought THAT!_ Carl sat on the floor feeling stunned.

It was a noise outside that snapped Carl out of his trance. He hastily stuffed the magazines back under the bed and began to gather up the things that Van Helsing had requested. He carefully pulled up the floorboard and recovered the laptop. He looked for a moment into the floor space and decided that when he got back, he talk to Van Helsing about the proper way to store delicate electronic equipment. He then moved to the closet and pulled out several weapons that Van Helsing wanted kept safe. He gently placed these on the bed and crossed them off the list. Carl then went to the bureau and began grabbing enough clothes for a couple of days. Tossing these on the bed, he then went into the bathroom to round up toiletries. Looking at what was there, Carl decided to stop at a drug store on the way home and left everything where he found it. Now he moved on to the last thing on the list.

Van Helsing had left the crossbow in a chair and Carl carefully picked it up. He had been expecting some utilitarian thing but this was actually rather beautiful. It had a ram's head in silver attached to the front of it and the stock was beautifully carved. It had some kind of cartridge that held the arrows that made Carl think of a machine gun and a power source that seemed to drive it. Without conscious thought, Carl sunk down into the chair and began to examine it. _It seemed to have a gas powered propulsion system that fires the arrows. This would give it speed but the cartridge mechanism seems a bit clumsy. Bet it jams a lot… _ Carl pulled himself back from his thoughts. _Don't even think about it. You were lucky to survive this morning but I doubt you'd be that lucky if you started monkeying with another one of his weapons._

Deciding that the best bet was to remove the temptation, Carl leapt up from the chair and moved over to the bed. He quickly packed up the weapons in duffel bag he had brought along and placed the bag to one side. He then grabbed a second bag and packed up the clothes he had grabbed for Van Helsing. Taking one last look at the list he made sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Seeing that he hadn't, he picked up the two bags and made his way out of the apartment. He locked the door and made his way back to the car, grateful that it was still there and unharmed. Putting the bags in the back seat, he drove as quickly as he could out of the neighborhood. He didn't relax until he was safely on the highway. Releasing tension that he didn't know he had, he thought back to the magazines he had found under Van Helsing's bed. _I never would have guessed that he'd be into guys…_


	6. Chapter Six

**_Thanks to everyone who reviewed. This isa storythat islooking to be a long oneand clearly its a bit different from what a lot of Van Helsing fic is like so feedback really helps._**

**_To Andrea who said getting another chapter made her birthday -I'm so glad!Birthdays are always challenging for me so I'm happy to know I made yours better!_**

It had to happen eventually. After all, one can only avoid thinking about something for so long and seeing the police car running a speed trap finally shattered Carl's Happy State of Denial.

Carl's first thought at seeing the police car was to offer a quick prayer that he didn't get pulled over. Carl was pretty certain that the weapons he was transporting were not legal in this state or any other. Probably not in most countries in fact. He let out a huge sigh of relief when he was well out of sight of the policeman.

However, this brought to his attention the fact that he was transporting these weapons because the man who made use of them was currently recovering from his wounds in Carl's guest bedroom. Also that the reason he need to recover was because of creatures that Carl would have said couldn't possibly exist had done a number on the hunter. Moreover, the same creatures had intended to do much worse to him. In the face of all these facts, Carl's carefully constructed peace of mind, crumbled. He had to pull over to the side of the road while violent tremors shook his body. He had damn near died last night. It was about this time yesterday that he had been coming out of Carmico's offices. The simple act of getting lost had almost gotten him killed. If Van Helsing hadn't been there, Carl would have been torn to shreds by the gargoyles. Carl felt his stomach heave and it was all he could do not to throw up the contents of his stomach. His mind was caught in an endless loop of the attack as he sat shaking in his car.

It was someone knocking on his window that finally snapped Carl out of his fear induced reverie. Carl practically jumped out of his skin and he fumbled as he rolled his window down. The jogger looked at him with concern and asked "Are you ok? I stopped because you are parked at a bus pullover but then I realized you didn't look so good." Carl stared at the man uncomprehendingly for a moment but slowly his brain began to function again. He took a shaky breath to gather himself and said "I'm alright. Something just caught up with me, that's all." He tried to smile reassuring at the man but it came out as more of a grimace. The man didn't look convinced but also realized that there really wasn't anything left to do. He just nodded and said "OK. Well, I hope you don't have far to drive. You still look pretty shaken" The jogger reluctantly moved away from the car and resumed his run.

Carl watched him go for a minute and then taking a deep breath, started the car. He was still on the edge of fear but he also knew that it wasn't going to get any better until he got home and got some answers out of Van Helsing.

As soon as Carl put the car in park, he leapt out and ran for the house. The door slammed behind him as he charged for the stairs and took them two at a time. He didn't bother to knock as he entered Van Helsing's room, which only showed how rattled Carl was. Van Helsing took one look at Carl's panic stricken face and thought that something had followed him home and he was out of bed and wielding the tojos in seconds.

Carl saw the tojos and freaked out even more. He flung himself away from the hunter and ran for the bathroom. He slammed the door shut and locked it, then leaned against it, his heart racing.

Van Helsing, who had been woken from a sound sleep by Carl's mad arrival, was trying to figure out just what had happened to spook the man. He was flushed with adrenaline and his senses were on high alert trying to detect danger. He walked to the door of the bedroom and peered down the hall but could sense nothing at all moving in the house.

Confused, he turned back to the room and looked at the bathroom door that Carl was currently hiding behind. Walking over to it, he called out "Carl, what the hell is going on?

Carl who was still caught up in his fear, flinched away from the door and stared at it in horror. Van Helsing was just on the other side of the door and he had the tojos. Carl's eyes grew even wider. The tojos! He had modified them and there was no way that the door was going to keep the man out. Carl backed away from the door whimpering and tripped, falling into the bathtub. He pulled down the shower curtain rod as he fell, adding a loud crashing noise to his own cry of fear.

Van Helsing heard of this and realized that Carl had clearly fallen down from panic stricken state he had worked himself into. Knowing how many things there were in the bathroom for Carl to hurt himself on, Van Helsing realized he was going to have to break in. He heaved an aggravated sigh and set the tojos down. He then eyed the door and gave thanks that no one ever makes bathroom doors very sturdy. He then flung his weight into the door causing it to shudder under the assault. He cursed loudly as connecting with the door caused every wound in his body to shriek in pain. He paused for a moment to let the agony settle and the room to stop going gray.

Carl was half laying in the bathtub with the shower curtain draped over him and his head swimming. He had struck his head against the wall and it really hurt. However, he forgot about the pain when he heard the sound of Van Helsing attempting to break the door down. He looked at the door in absolute terror and pulled his legs into the bathtub. He burrowed his way to the farthest end of the tub and stared at the door trembling. He was clutching the shower curtain around him like a small child holds a security blanket.

Van Helsing eyed the door with deep loathing and gathered himself for another try. He slammed his weight into it and this time the door gave, causing Van Helsing to stumble into the room. He barely managed to catch himself before he too tumbled into the bathtub.

Carl looked at Van Helsing and let out a terrified whimper. He pulled the shower curtain even more tightly to him, as if to try hide from the man. His eyes were wide and petrified.

Van Helsing looked at Carl in shock. Carl had locked himself in the bathroom because of him? Just what the hell had he seen at Van Helsing's apartment that had caused such a freak out? He looked the trembling man and realized he was going to have to talk Carl down if he was going to get him out of the bathtub.

He slowly held up his hands to show that he wasn't carrying any weapons. He then very carefully lowered himself down so he was kneeling at eye level to Carl. This moved caused more then a little pain and he let out a angry curse, which only served to spook Carl more. The man was practically burrowing into the wall behind him and Van Helsing winced as he realized he had just made things worse.

Speaking in the most soothing tone he could, he said "Carl, I'm not going to hurt you." Carl merely whimpered in response and clutched the shower curtain tighter. Van Helsing continued to look Carl in the eye and said "Carl, I don't know what happened to you at my apartment but I swear to you, I will never hurt you. Whatever you saw, whatever happened, I promise you, you never have anything to fear from me"

Carl looked at Van Helsing, who still holding his empty hands where Carl could see them. Knowing that he didn't have the tojos made Carl feel a little safer but why had the man threatened him in the first place?

"If I have nothing to fear from you, then why did you grab the tojos when I came in. " He cringed down into the bathtub, realizing that he may have just angered the hunter with his words.

Van Helsing saw the cringe and sighed. So it was the tojos that made Carl freak out. But what did Carl expect him to do when he came charging into the room like the Hounds of Hell were after him? He looked at cringing man in the bathtub and gave it one more try.

"Carl, I'm sorry about that but when you came flying into my room the way you did, I thought something bad happened and I was preparing to defend us. I didn't draw them on you, I drew them on whatever it was that was chasing you. Only there wasn't anything chasing you, was there?"

Carl looked at the hunter who was still showing no signs of aggression, and straightened up just a little. He bit his lip and then whispered "No. Nothing was chasing me" His wide eyes still gazed timidly at the hunter but some of the blind panic had faded from them.

Van Helsing, realizing he was finally getting through to Carl said "How about we get you out of the bathtub and you tell me exactly what did happen to you?" He still made no move toward the other man, knowing that this was a delicate juncture.

Carl looked away from Van Helsing and noticed for the first time that he was curled up in the bathtub with the curtain. Now that the terror had faded some, he realized that he must look terribly foolish cringing in the bathtub with a shower curtain "security blanket". He flushed and bit his lip and this time his avoiding the hunter's gaze was from embarrassment rather then fear.

Van Helsing saw the shift in Carl's body language and decided it was time to get Carl out of the tub. He continued to move incredibly slow, knowing that Carl would still be a bit skittish. As he reached the side of the tub he stopped and waited for Carl to look at him.

Carl slowly raised his head and looked at Van Helsing. The dark haired man was looking at him with a patient, slightly questioning look. As they made eye contact, Van Helsing very carefully said "How about I get rid of the shower curtain?"

Carl looked down at the shower curtain still clutched in his hands and flushed deep red. Van Helsing must think he was the most pathetic person. He had acted like a women in a B horror movie, locking himself in the bathroom and cowering in the corner. He let go of the curtain and Van Helsing slowly eased it away and set it to one side.

"So, how about you get out of the tub and we'll go back in the bed room and talk about what happened?" Van Helsing was still using the very soothing tone he had been using since he broke into the bathroom.

Carl flushed even deeper and climbed awkwardly to his feet. He knew Van Helsing was deliberately using a pacifying tone, which meant he still thought Carl was going to freak out again at any moment. Van Helsing backed away from the tub to allow Carl out and then turned and walked back out to the bedroom.

Carl followed and walked to the chair that sat near the bed. Van Helsing settled back on the bed with a couple of muttered curses and Carl felt a huge wave of guilt wash over him as he realized he had caused Van Helsing a lot of pain in all of this. He squirmed a bit in his chair and finally ended up nervously wringing his hands. He couldn't bring himself to look at Van Helsing

Van Helsing watched Carl's face as a myriad of emotions crossed it. He had expected to see embarrassment and maybe even some lingering fear but the guilt surprised him. More then ever, he wanted to know exactly what happened to set Carl off.

Deciding that if he waited for Carl to start, they'd be there all night, he cleared his throat and said "So, would you mind telling me what sparked all of this?"

Carl looked up from his contemplation of his hands and hesitantly looked at Van Helsing. He bit his lip and his eyes darted about the room, as if hoping for some kind of intervention. Van Helsing sighed impatiently and said "Carl?"

Carl's eyes snapped back to Van Helsing and his face flushed a deep red. His voice came out at not much more then a whisper. "I'm really sorry. Its just that the cop brought it all back to me and I suddenly realized just how close I came and well…" his voice trailed off as his eyes clouded over with remembered fear.

Van Helsing saw the fear beginning to return and opened his mouth to intervene when the word "cop" registered. His eyes widened "Did you say cop? Don't tell me you got pulled over? " His eyes bore into Carl's and Carl burrowed back against his chair, shocked by the hunter's suddenly aggressive tone.

Van Helsing saw Carl's response and closed his eyes, struggling to regain his composure. He took several deep breaths and in a less angry tone said "Carl, I need you to tell me what happened with the cop." He tried to maintain a patient expression but inside his heart was racing. If the weapons got confiscated, he was in deep trouble with his bosses.

Carl looked at Van Helsing like a mouse facing a snake and swallowed hard. It took him several tries to speak and when he did, his voice was squeaky. "Nothing happened with the cop. He was just doing a speed trap. He didn't even pull me over." He looked at Van Helsing beseechingly, silently begging him not to blow up.

Van Helsing looked at Carl in confusion. "If the cop didn't stop you, then why are you so upset about him?" He was beginning to think that perhaps Carl was a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Perhaps the best thing to do was to get out of here as soon as he could.

Carl could see that Van Helsing wasn't following him and quickly burst into speech. "It wasn't the cop, per se that did it. It was thinking about what would happen if he DID pull me over, which then made me think about why I was transporting the stuff, which made me realize that I almost died last night and that there are big, nasty creatures roaming around ripping people to shreds." Carl finally ran out of breath and stood there looking at Van Helsing with wide, horrified eyes.

Van Helsing listened to Carl's outburst with growing compassion. Of course Carl was freaked out. He couldn't have ever imagined that monsters existed in the world, let alone that he would almost be killed by them. Because Carl had kept his head during the attack and had seemed unfazed by what had happened, Van Helsing hadn't taken the time to check in with Carl and make sure he was ok. And now that denial had worn off, Carl was responding as much as you'd expect from someone who had barely survived a gargoyle attack. Van Helsing was just grateful that he hadn't started crying.

Van Helsing looked at Carl sympathetically and said" I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you about the policeman. I was concerned that he had confiscated the weapons but that doesn't justify barking at you like that. You've been through a lot and I should have taken the time to make sure you were doing alright. Most people would have had a meltdown long before now. You've done remarkably well under the circumstances. You kept your head during the attack when most people would have collapsed and you even managed to keep it together long enough to get me here and patched up. You were due for a panic attack and all things considered, it wasn't that bad of one. The shower curtain may never be the same though…." He gave Carl a gently teasing smile and was rewarded with the tiniest of smiles from Carl.

Carl sighed and said "I can't believe I came unglued like that. I locked myself in the bathroom, for Christ's sake. " His face was beet red and he fidget a bit in his chair. "I didn't mean to get so wigged out. I just needed answers about what the hell is going on and then you came bounding out of bed wielding the tojos like some kind of avenging angel and well… it was the final straw. I went totally into 'fight or flight' mode. Though it was really just 'flight' mode." He looked down completely embarrassed.

Van Helsing just chuckled and said "Under the circumstances, flight was the way to go. You were unarmed against an armed opponent. Not very good odds there." He wasn't sure why, but he felt the need to make Carl feel better about the whole thing. Maybe it was because Carl had taken care of him after the battle with the gargoyles or maybe it was because Carl just looked so crestfallen that it brought out a long buried urge to coddle. Either way, Van Helsing was determined to convince Carl that he didn't think any less of him for what had just happened.

"Let's just put all of this behind us and forget about it. You were able to find everything I needed, right?"

Carl suddenly leapt out of his chair "Your stuff - I left it all in the car." He sprinted from the room before Van Helsing could stop him. The Hunter just shook his head and waited for Carl to return. Carl's ability to shift gears like that still gave Van Helsing mental whiplash. He settled more comfortably on the bed and tried to decide how much information to give to Carl. Technically he was not suppose to give any information out about the Order and what it did. On the other hand, Carl already had enough information from his own encounter with the gargoyles and having seen the Hunter's weapons to cause problems if he wanted to. But Van Helsing was willing to gamble that Carl would say nothing about anything Van Helsing told him. There was something trustworthy about Carl and to be honest, Van Helsing could use a chance to unburden himself about everything.

He heard Carl struggling down the hall and chuckled realizing that Carl had clearly decided to carry everything in at once. It must have been quite heavy and awkward.

Carl staggered through the door and over to the bed. He very carefully placed the larger of the two bags on the bed and then dropped the second one on the floor. Carl gestured to the bag and said "You can check it all over if you like".

Van Helsing just shook his head and said "No, I don't need to. But if you could put it in the closet, I'd appreciate it." Carl gently picked up the bag and walked over to the closet. He stored the bag on the floor and shut the door. He looked at Van Helsing in indecision and the Hunter knew that Carl was trying to figure out how best to ask him what was going on.

Van Helsing gestured to the chair and said "Carl, why don't you sit down? I've got a lot to tell you and you might as well get comfortable…"


	7. Chapter Seven

Van Helsing gathered his thoughts while Carl walked over to the chair and got settled. _Where to begin?_ Deciding that Carl was the kind of guy who liked details, he decided to start with the Order.

"As you've already guessed, I work for people who know all about creatures like the gargoyles you encountered last night. They are known as the Order and they have been around for thousands of years. Originally they were a religious group who used the power of the Church to fund their battle. They had a secret headquarters in the Vatican for hundreds of years and the Knights were holy men dedicated to the cause."

"Kind of like the Knights Templar. Holy monks who were also warriors. Only I've never heard of the Knights of the Order." Said Carl with a slight frown of concentration.

Van Helsing just shrugged "Not surprising. The Order has worked very hard to maintain its obscurity. It's has always been the operating procedure of The Order to never allow itself to become known beyond those who work for it. Even the Pope had no idea that The Order existed right under his nose."

Carl frowned deeper. "But if that is the policy of The Order, then why are you talking to me? Isn't that in violation of the policy?" Carl looked at the Hunter, one eyebrow quirked in question.

Van Helsing sighed and said "Yes, I'm violating policy and if my bosses find out, they'll tear me a new one but I think that under the circumstances you have the right to know. I don't think that you are going to run out and contact the papers with anything you hear."

Carl just shook his head "Hardly. They'd think I was nuts and who could blame them? If I hadn't seen them for myself, I wouldn't believe that gargoyles existed, let alone that they are running around the city."

Van Helsing smiled slightly at Carl's comment. "Yes, and believe me, the Order does like to encourage people to think that way. They even occasionally leak stories to the tabloids to insure that anyone who does actually see something ends up looking like the crazies who claim to have seen Elvis."

Carl looked thoughtful at that. "It's a good method though it does bring up another question. Just how much of what is printed is true? I'm guessing that you hunt a lot more then gargoyles. Just how bad is it really out there?"

Van Helsing had rather hoped they wouldn't get to this so quickly but he should have known that Carl's agile mind would put the pieces together very quickly. He paused for a moment and deliberated about how to proceed.

Carl watched the darker man hedge and felt himself get aggravated. Was this because of his little incident earlier? Van Helsing said it happened to everyone but had he just been trying to make him feel better? Did he really think he was meltdown waiting to happen at the slightest provocation? Carl didn't like that at all and decided that it was time to prove to Van Helsing that this morning was NOT normal behavior for Carl.

"Van Helsing! If you are worried that I'm going to freak out again at the thought of what's out there, you can stop right now. I've had my moment and I've adjusted to the fact that the world is a far more dangerous place then I originally thought and that there really are monsters running about. Now stop stalling and tell me exactly what it is that's out there so I can plan accordingly.

Van Helsing looked at Carl in surprise. The geek was glaring at him in clear displeasure and looked prepared to do him bodily harm if he didn't get some straight answers. Carl looked almost fierce and Van Helsing was torn between the desire to tell him everything and the need to laugh at the sight. It was too cute – like an angry chipmunk. Still the angry chipmunk was quite capable of hitting him with the lamp he was eying and Van Helsing didn't need any more injuries. He spoke quickly to pacify Carl.

"Sorry, I was just trying to gather my thoughts. You asked exactly what is out there and the reality is that just about everything you'd ever had a nightmare about is probably out there somewhere along with a bunch of things that you couldn't possibly imagine. I've been a hunter for ten years and I've been up against demons, werewolves, boggarts, gargoyles – you name it, I've probably got a scar from it somewhere. " Van Helsing watched Carl's face as he said all this, making sure that he was taking it all in. He was not going to repeat his mistake of not checking to make sure Carl was handling things.

Carl, however, responded to all of this with a serious and thoughtful expression. He didn't seem alarmed or even surprised by anything he was hearing. Van Helsing almost expected him to take out the ever-present notebook and start taking notes. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or worried.

Carl was unaware of the close scrutiny as he was too caught up in the implications of what he was hearing. Gargoyles were clearly not the worst things out there and the fact that The Order would send one of their men out without back up did not give Carl a good opinion of them. In fact, he really wanted to give them a piece of his mind. What kind of half-assed organization sends a man out to fight nightmares with hand weapons for christ's sake?

Van Helsing watched the expressions chase across Carl's face and felt a vague sense of discomfort come over him. Far from looking worried or afraid, Carl seemed to be… calculating. _Just what was going through that geeky little mind of his? _

Carl thought about just what kind of things Van Helsing was likely encountering and realized that he couldn't, in clear conscience, just send him on his way. The man fought monsters to keep the rest of the world safe and he was doing it with antiques. The crossbow was pretty but that loading mechanism was archaic. And he had a sword for crying out loud! A sword! The Middle Ages were long gone folks! The Order must be severely out of touch to think that you could operate effectively like this! Something really need to be done about it!

Carl paused for a moment when he realized that he had just come to the decision to help Van Helsing hunt. A small voice tried to tell him he was crazy to take on such a task but the rest of him told it shut up. This was too important and the fact was, Van Helsing needed the help. Carl could help him come up with better and safer ways to take out the monsters and that could only be a good thing. Beside, Carl hated working for Carmico and this gave him a new set of challenges that he could actually feel pretty good about. And he was pretty sure that Van Helsing would never ask him to wear a suit or sit through a board meeting.

Having accepted his choice, he began to think about how best to proceed. _The best thing would be for Van Helsing to move here. That way we could have easy communication and he'd be around to test any weapons I create. And we'll need to have a training arena… the basement would probably work well for that. I've already re-enforced it for the laser testing I did there… _Without thinking, Carl pulled the notepad out of his pocket and began scribbling notes.

Van Helsing's eyes widened nervously when he saw Carl start writing. What the hell was he doing? "Carl" snapped the Hunter.

Carl looked up from his notes, his mind only partially focused on Van Helsing. The rest was still calculating out what would be required for their new partnership. "Yes?" Carl said distractedly, completely forgetting that Van Helsing would have no idea what conclusion he had come to.

"What are you scribbling about? What is going on in that strange little mind of yours?" Van Helsing looked Carl directly in the eye, trying to figure out what was going on.

Carl just smiled and "Sorry, I always get like this when I'm planning something. There's going to be a lot that has to happen to make this work." He looked down at his notes, thought of something else and began scribbling again, forgetting all about the frustrated man sitting across from him.

Van Helsing's sense of unease now became full blown alarm. "What do you mean there is a lot that needs to happen to make this work? Make what work? Carl, what the hell are you plotting?" He glared at blonde who looked up in surprise from his notes.

"Plotting – I like that. I'm trying to help you and this is the attitude you give me? " he pouted slightly and tapped his pen against his notes. "It would serve you right if I did just leave you to your own devices. Fortunately for you, I'm a bigger man than that."

Van Helsing looked at Carl in disbelief. Carl couldn't be saying what he thought he was saying. "Carl, I've had a hard couple of days so I'm going to ask you to be really clear here. What exactly are you trying to do?"

Carl smiled a beautiful smile and said "I'm going to help you. It's clear that The Order isn't doing its job so I'm going to do it for them. We'll use this house as our base since there's plenty of space and it's already got my lab. We'll need to improve the security system and put in a training & testing area but that shouldn't take too long to implement. You can keep this room or pick another if you want to though whichever room you chose, we'll have to redecorate. Everything in this house is still the way my grandparents had it – except my room and the lab. He looked around at the stuffy décor and shuddered slightly. It definitely was too "old school" for the masculine hunter.

Van Helsing listened to Carl in horror. _No, no, no. This is not happening. The crazy geek is not offering to work with me. I don't have a partner and certainly not one who was all brains and no training. He'll only get in the way and probably get us both killed. No way! _Still, another part of his brain reminded him that it was Carl who held it together enough to think to get the car so they could both escape the gargoyles. The man might be a geek but he wasn't without guts. _No, I work alone. I always have and it works better that way. Besides, the geek wants me to move in here. I'm a street rat, I don't belong in mansions. It can't possibly work. This is the stupidest idea I have ever heard._

Carl paused for a moment in his dialogue and realized that Van Helsing hadn't heard a word he had said. He looked at the Hunter and saw that the man looked upset. _Perhaps I should have presented this better. But really, it is the only solution._ He cleared his throat and said "Van Helsing? Was there something you wanted to say?" He looked at the Hunter with the amiable smile of someone who is very pleased with himself.

Van Helsing snapped out of his train of thought and said "Hell, yes I have something to say. And that is no. I don't work with a partner. " He crossed his arms over his chest with the posture of someone who has spoken the last he intends to say about the matter.

Carl raised his eyebrow at Van Helsing's comment and said "That's ridiculous. You are clearly in over your head and I can help with that. I can make the weapons and come up with the methods that your bosses clearly can't provide you with. Do you like getting the crap beat out of you? Because if you don't, then you need a partner. And from where I'm sitting, I'm the only offer you are likely to get."

Carl's last comment stung as the other Hunters had refused to work with him and so he struck back reflexively. "And why would I want to saddle myself with a geek like you? You know nothing about hunting monsters or fighting. You'd only get in my way. Thanks but no thanks. I work alone" He looked away from Carl in complete dismissal.

Carl's eyes filled with hurt and he got up out of the chair. He knew that his greatest strength had always been his intelligence no matter what he tried to do to improve his body. He had been made fun of by more then one person for being geeky but he thought that Van Helsing at least would appreciate what he had to offer. He had fixed the tojos when they broke and he genuinely wanted to help fight. But no, once again it was "Carl, you are just too weak for this. Why don't you run along to your lab and leave the men to do the real work?" He hugged his arms around himself as old hurts washed back over him.

Van Helsing watched as Carl moved away from the bed. He had clearly struck a nerve with his comment and part of him felt bad for having hurt the guy. But it was really for the best. Carl had no idea what he was offering to get into and Van Helsing wasn't going to drag him into this mess. This was really for the best.

But part of Van Helsing was screaming that he was crazy to turn down Carl's offer. That Carl offered him a chance for support and stability - something he desperately needed. Van Helsing shook his head. It was wrong – he couldn't take Carl up on his offer. The Order would kill him. Carl was not authorized by The Order. But it was so very tempting…

Carl turned back to the man on the bed and with his eyes averted said quietly "I'm sorry I was so presumptuous. I really was only trying to help. It's clear that this is a very big and very dangerous problem and I wanted to do something to help. But I was stupid to think you'd want me along. I'll just leave you alone. You can stay until you are healed. I promise to leave you strictly alone. " He turned away, the picture of misery and began to make his way towards the door.

Van Helsing looked at Carl's hunched back and felt like the biggest asshole. While he was right to turn the guy down, he could have been nicer about it. It was clear he had really hurt Carl's feelings and the guy done nothing but go out of his way to help him. Hell, he was still willing to let him stay here and recover even after he had been a total jerk.

"Carl, wait. I'm really sorry. Look. I appreciate your offer but you have to understand, this is really dangerous work. I've had tons of training and experience and I still get my ass kicked sometimes. You want to help but you have no idea what it is you are really offering to help with. I couldn't put you in that kind of danger when I know what it is that is out there. Its best that once I leave, you forget all about this."

Carl looked incredulously at the Hunter but the incredulity quickly morphed into anger. "What do you mean I don't know what's out there? I almost got gutted by gargoyles, Van Helsing. I think I have a pretty good idea what's out there. And yes, I don't have training but I'm far from stupid and I'm far from helpless. What I don't know, I can learn. Besides, I wasn't exactly offering to go on the hunt with you. I was thinking more of being your support person. You know, supply you with weapons, and do the research, that kind of thing. I'm well aware I'm not exactly Hunter material but I do have things to offer. And I also thought that maybe, just maybe, you were tired of having to do everything alone." Carl crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the Hunter.

Van Helsing looked at the blonde and was torn. What Carl offered was very tempting. Having someone there as a backup would be very helpful. The incident with the gargoyles was hardly a first for him and he was tired of dragging himself home and patching himself up. If he had someone to watch his back, even from a distance, it could save him a lot of pain and aggravation. And if what Carl did for the tojos was any example of the guy's creative power, he could probably come up with some better ways of fighting monsters then technology out of the 14th Century. It was so very tempting…

Carl watched the indecision chase across the Hunter's face and knew it was time to press his advantage. "Look Van Helsing, what if we did this on a trial basis? I'll help you out with the gargoyles and if you find that when we're done that you still want to work alone, then we'll call it quits. You call all the shots and I promise to stay out of your way when the action starts. What do you say?"

Van Helsing looked at Carl who had a pleading puppy dog look on his face and shook his head. "This is a really bad idea and if Jinette finds out, we'll both wish we had never been born. They don't call him the Dragon for nothing. We can't do this" But Van Helsing's voice didn't sound terribly convincing and Carl knew he was wearing the man down.

"How would Jinette ever find out? You say that you hardly ever check in and that they avoid dealing with you whenever possible so unless you tell them, they'll never know. Besides, I think I have an idea of how to incapacitate the gargoyles so they are easier to dispatch. I was thinking about the way they reacted to the car horn and I'm wondering if they are particularly sensitive to sound harmonics. I don't suppose there are any reliable places I could do some research?" Carl used his most persuasive tone, knowing that if he could convince Van Helsing that he could make the task easier, he'd be willing to give him a chance.

Van Helsing squirmed a bit on the bed. Carl had a good point. Jinette spent as little time as possible talking to Van Helsing and with the tojo fixed, he could limit his conversation to reporting the gargoyle nest and informing them that he'd take care of it. They didn't need to know exactly HOW he was planning on taking care of them. Its not like Jinette ever asked. He's send the Hunter the intell on gargoyles via email and that would be it. This could work…

Carl waited anxiously for Van Helsing to come to a decision. He didn't know why this mattered so much to him but he really wanted the Hunter to say yes to him. Maybe it was that he finally wanted someone to actually choose him for a partner. Most people found Carl's somewhat eccentric ways and strange leaps of logic to be annoying but he really felt that in this case, they would work in his favor.

Van Helsing sighed. The fact was that he needed to tackle the gargoyles soon and he really wasn't in any shape to do it alone. If Carl really did have a way to incapacitate the gargoyles, then he might as well let him give it a shot. He could always insist that Carl stay far away from the actual fighting.

Carl saw the moment that Van Helsing gave in to the idea and he had to fight to keep from jumping around in a victory dance. Instead he pinned what he hoped was a calm and collected look on his face and waited for Van Helsing to speak.

When Van Helsing did look at Carl he almost changed his mind. Carl was attempting to look blasé but his eyes were lit up like a kid at Christmastime. But Van Helsing needed the help so he was going to give this a shot. Its not like he couldn't end it at any time – right?

"Ok, here's the deal. I give an order, you obey it, no questions asked. I tell you to get out of there, you do it. I tell you to stay behind, you stay – got it?" He looked at Carl sternly.

Carl bobbed his head in affirmation, still struggling to hold the calm look. But the excitement kept threatening to break through and he unconsciously wiggled at bit as he stood before the Hunter.

Van Helsing looked one last time at Carl and sighed. He was going to need to go over this again he could tell. Still, he decided that he'd tackle that after he checked in with Headquarters. "Alright, we'll talk about this more later but for now, I've got to check in with Headquarters and let them know what I've found."

Carl nodded again. "Make sure they give you any information they have about gargoyles. I imagine that they must have pretty extensive records about the monsters they send you guys out to hunt. I especially need any information they have about their sensitivity to sound and vibration. It really is a pity I can't talk to them myself…"

Van Helsing just grimaced. "They can't know about you, remember?"

Carl just looked at him exasperatedly. "I know that. I'm just saying it would be easier if I didn't have to get it second hand. In fact, the best thing would be original source material but I don't suppose they'd send you that." Carl looked vaguely disappointed.

Van Helsing said "Actually they send me pretty extensive files when I go up against a monster. To be honest, I usually just skim it since most of it is of no use to me but you might find something there you can use. Once I check in, they email me whatever information they have. Which reminds me, is there some place that has WI-FI around here? I'll need it to get my email."

Carl just grinned and said "Actually my whole house is wired. You can access it from pretty much anywhere in the house. Like I said earlier, this is the perfect place to use as a base. I can even add an encryption to the phone system so we have secure phone access if you like." He had that eager look that Van Helsing was beginning to realize spelled trouble.

"That's ok, I'm a Hunter, not CIA agent. Just the Internet access is all I need. I generally use my cell phone to call Headquarters." As he said this he reached for his phone, which he had left on the bedside table.

Carl looked disappointed but rallied. "Ok then. I'll just leave you alone to check in. I should probably start making some arrangements anyway." He started to walk to the door but then stopped and turned around.

"By the way, since we're temporarily working together, I was wondering if you would let me look at your crossbow. I examined it earlier and I imagine that it jams on you a fair bit." Carl was back to giving him the pleading puppy dog look.

Van Helsing just rolled his eyes and said "Fine. Go play with the crossbow. Just try not to shoot yourself with it." Carl grinned excitedly, scooted across the room to where the bag of weapons was and snatched it up.

"Don't worry. I promise you it will be much better when I get through with it" He bounded out the door, holding the crossbow.

Van Helsing looked at the doorway for a while and then looking up at the ceiling said, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" Heaving a heavy sigh, he flipped open the phone and dialed the number to Headquarters.

To Be Continued...


	8. Chapter Eight

_**I thought I should warn you - this is a long chapter but it really doesn't advance the plot all that much. The boys just wanted to have some fun so I let them. I promise that they will eventually get out of the house and go deal with the gargoyles.**_

Van Helsing listened to the phone ring and tried to decide how best to approach Jinette. The line was answered and a sharp, accented voice barked "Jinette". Van Helsing unconsciously straightened and began the dance.

"Jinette, its Van Helsing. I'm checking in about a situation." He didn't get any farther then that before Jinette cut him off abruptly.

"A situation. What have you damaged now? A building, cars… let me guess, your weapons are broken and you need them fixed? Tell me, how many people do we have to pacify this time? Well, just how badly did you screw up this time?" The chill that emanated from the phone made Van Helsing scowl.

"Nothing's damaged and my weapons are fine. I'm calling to say I ran into a nest of gargoyles here in the city. I took out a handful of them but there are about 4-5 still left to be dealt with. I'm tracking them back to their lair and will destroy it along with the remaining gargoyles. That's it. Situation is under control " The Hunter's voice was clipped as he was barely holding his anger in check. Jinette had a way of getting under his skin and the man took great delight in ticking Van Helsing off. On the other hand, Van Helsing had an ace in the hole because, thanks to Carl, he was going into this with a support system and therefore didn't have to crawl to The Order for aid. This helped him to keep from responding to Jinette's deliberate attack.

He could here Jinette's indrawn breath and smiled grimly. _Score one for me._ He knew that Jinette loved nothing more then to goad his subordinates into losing their cool. Once lost, Jinette had free rein to rip them to shreds. Van Helsing was one of the few people who had never broken under one of Jinette's attacks but they had some knockdown, drag out fights that he had metaphorically limped away from. It was the reason that Van Helsing existed outside the "safety" of Headquarters. Jinette couldn't stand having someone around he couldn't control and Van Helsing knew that he'd one day punch Jinette if he stayed. So there was an unspoken agreement that they would interact as little as possible and this would "keep the peace" with the other members of the Order. Needless to say, it made him very unpopular with the other Order members. No one wanted to be associated with someone who upset the boss.

Van Helsing didn't get long to enjoy his little victory. "So I suppose you are looking for resources – maybe another hunter to help you out?" Jinette said. His intention to wound was obvious. Van Helsing had to take a deep breath and count to five before answering.

"No, I've got it all under control. I'm only checking in because its clear that Headquarters had no idea that gargoyles had moved into this area, let alone found a way to get into the city undetected. I thought you'd like to know about it" Van Helsing's voice dripped with false helpfulness. He only wanted to twist the knife a bit that Jinette dropped the ball on this one. That he could reject Jinette's "offer" of resources was a sweet bonus. He made a mental note to do something nice for Carl as a thank you for giving him a chance to get back at Jinette for all the years of abuse.

He could practically here Jinette's blood pressure rising and a smile of satisfaction filled his face. He lounged back on the bed and waited for the explosion.

"You will send me a full report when you find out exactly how they came to be in the city. I want to make sure that none of the other Hunters run into the same problem. I'll have Carlson send you the intell on gargoyles within the hour. I'm hoping that you haven't managed to lose your computer?"

Van Helsing almost laughed at that extremely weak attack. Jinette was grasping at straws in an attempt to rattle him and it was satisfying to experience. Still, no point in burning too many bridges as Carl said he needed the intell the Order had on file. "Nah, the laptop is fine. Email me everything you've got and I'll take it from there. Is there anything else you need from me? I should probably get out on the streets soon. Got gargoyles to track and all." He kept his tone deliberately upbeat knowing that it would drive Jinette crazy.

Jinette just snarled and said "No. All I need from you is to do your job and not blow anything up. Think you can handle it?"

Van Helsing had to fight back a laugh as he said, "Yes, I think I can handle it. Until next time" and hung up. Once the call had been disconnected, he finally allowed himself to laugh. Even if this whole partnership thing turned out to be a total bust, it was worth it to know that for once, he had gotten the better of the Dragon. This definitely called for some kind of celebration!

He got up from the bed and decided to go find Carl. It was, after all, thanks to the geek that he was one up on Jinette and he should be thanked for it. He also realized he was hungry and was thinking that pizza and beer would go down nicely right about now.

He wandered down the hall and to the first floor. Since he had last seen Carl making off with his crossbow, he figured he'd find him in his lab. He could hear music and was surprised that it was rock. He would have thought classical music would have been more his speed. He headed off towards the lab and found Carl once again perched on a stool with one of his weapons before him. Van Helsing had to fight down a moment of panic at seeing the crossbow in pieces but reminded himself that Carl had fixed the tojos which were much more complicated and now they were better then ever.

Carl looked up absentmindedly when he heard Van Helsing enter but his attention snapped to full when he realized the man still hadn't put a shirt on. Dear lord and this man was now going to be living with him? Carl found himself blushing brightly and had to wretch his eyes away from the tempting sight. He picked up a piece of the crossbow and tried to look like he wasn't flustered and overheated. _Be casual, Carl._ _Remember, this partnership is a trial run. If he thinks you're lusting after him, the game is over right now. _

Carl fiddled a bit with the pieces of the crossbow and fought keep his voice casual and relaxed. "So how was your call to the office? Everything went alright?" He deliberately made the point of looking at Van Helsing's face so the well-muscled body on display wouldn't distract him.

Van Helsing grinned and said, "The call went great. Jinette is probably having a stroke as we speak" He reached across and picked up a piece of the crossbow and began to play with it.

Carl sighed, plucked the piece of crossbow out of Van Helsing's hand and put it back down in with the other carefully arranged bits of weapon. "You know, it's not very nice to want to drive someone over the edge. And since he's your boss, it's not exactly the best survival technique either. Did you ever stop to think that you might have a better time of it if you didn't antagonize the guy?"

Van Helsing just snorted. "Its not all me. Jinette thrives on breaking his subordinates. You should have heard the way he was baiting me. He figured I was calling in because I had screwed something up or was in over my head. Can't tell you how good it felt to tell him that I had everything under control and that I didn't need a damn thing. You could practically hear his blood vessels popping in frustration. The man does not like to be beaten at anything" Van Helsing grinned widely and reached again for the crossbow bits.

Carl slapped Van Helsing's hand away. "Stop that. I have them laid out like that for a reason. You do want me to be able to put this back together, don't you?" He shook his head and said, "In your enthusiasm to kill Jinette, I hope you didn't forget that I need that information on gargoyles?" Carl was feeling a bit grumpy, as a happy Van Helsing was far too tempting for Carl's concentration. At least when the Hunter was surly, the mild apprehension that induced was enough to dampen the hormonal reaction Carl seemed to have whenever the man was around. This newly chipper Van Helsing was wrecking havoc on Carl's libido.

Van Helsing just raised an eyebrow at Carl's cranky tone and said "Sounds like someone needs a nap. I was going to suggest pizza and beer but maybe I'd just do better to put you to bed" He grinned teasingly at Carl and moved towards him as if to make good on his threat.

Carl looked at Van Helsing with a mixture of annoyance and trepidation. He just didn't know the man well enough to know when he was teasing or not. And frankly Carl didn't think that letting Van Helsing cart him off to bed was a safe thing to do in Carl's currently aroused state. He put his hand up and said, "Don't even think about it. I've got far too much work to do here" He then turned to the crossbow and began slotting together a couple of pieces.

Van Helsing looked at Carl who was still looking a bit disgruntled and came to a decision. He moved quickly and snatched the pieces out of Carl's hand. Stepping back, he held them out of reach and said, "Fine, no nap but you still need to take a break. You are far too cranky". He grinned at Carl was sputtering with indignation.

Carl hopped out of his seat and tried to snatch the pieces back. Unfortunately Van Helsing had several inches on him and was able to keep them just out of reach. "Damn it Van Helsing, will you give those back? I'm trying to work here." He tried one more lunge but the Hunter nimbly dodged away, chuckling all the while.

"Sorry Carl but you aren't getting these back until you take a break and have something to eat." He started to back away, holding the pieces out like a carrot on a stick.

Carl watched him for a moment and then decided that two could play this game. He shrugged and said, "Fine, if you won't let me work on the crossbow, I've got plenty of other things I can do. " He walked over to one of the cabinets along the back wall and opened it. He rummaged around inside, randomly pulling things out while watching the Hunter out of the corner of his eye. He could see that the Hunter was assessing the situation and planning his next move. Carl continued to play it up by taking a piece of equipment out of the cabinet and pretending to size up its potential as the next thing to work on. He had to fight back a smirk when he saw Van Helsing silently put down the crossbow pieces and try to sneak up on him. He waited until the Hunter was almost upon him then turned quickly and dodged around him. He picked up the crossbow pieces and said "Thank you Van Helsing for returning this. Now if you excuse me, I have work to do." His grin was equal parts mirth and victory.

Van Helsing studied the smirking inventor thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. Carl chuckled gleefully and then turned his attention back to the crossbow. This would turn out to be a fatal mistake.

Carl let out a startled yelp when he found himself being grabbed off the stool and unceremoniously tossed over an unyielding shoulder. He protested vehemently but fruitlessly as he was lugged out of the lab like a sack of potatoes. He was carried into the living room where he was tossed down onto the couch. He tried to struggle up but was held down by a hand on his chest.

"Damn it, Van Helsing. Let me up. You have no right to treat me this way. Get off me you big oaf." Carl struggled to free himself but it really was a losing battle.

Van Helsing grinned at the sight of Carl attempting to escape. Carl thought he had been clever with that little diversion of his back in the labs but he had just learned that Van Helsing wasn't that easy to trick. Then Carl made a particularly vigorous wriggle and Van Helsing had to lean forward to keep the blonde pinned down. This brought him in rather close proximate to the squirming man and Van Helsing suddenly had images of other ways he could keep Carl pinned down and squirming. The thought went straight to his groin and he had to close his eyes for a moment to push those thoughts away. Opening them he realized that perhaps he hadn't thought this out far enough and let go of Carl.

Carl immediately pushed himself upright with an indignant snort. "I can't believe you did that. You can't just go around tossing people over your shoulder like that. I was trying to work" He tried to glare at the dark haired man in front of him but it was a rather weak attempt. The fact of the matter was that being pinned down on the couch like that had caused Carl's arousal to flare again. He was trying to fight it with indignation but it was a losing battle.

Van Helsing stood up and said "I wouldn't have to toss you over my shoulder if you had done what I asked. You needed to take a break. You've been going since I've arrived here and its time for you to stop and come up for air. We'll get something to eat and we can talk about this partnership thing. There are some rules and regulations we need to get straight if you are going to work with me. Now, can you get a pizza delivered here or is this neighborhood too blue blood?"

He lounged casually in an armchair while he watched various expressions chase across Carl's face. It was clear that Carl was annoyed by his "intervention" but he was also concerned about these rules that he wanted to discuss. Then of course, there was Carl's unending curiosity that just had to know more about what was coming next. In the end, curiosity won out.

Carl sighed as he looked at Van Helsing lounging so indolently in the stuffy floral armchair. Carl wasn't use to people who used such direct approaches. Most times they employed some form of manipulation – usually incessant nagging – to pry him out of his lab. Most of his exes had perfected a form of harping that was the vocal equivalent of fingernails down the chalkboard. That method however had a ramping up period in which Carl could continue work until the person finally hit their explosion point. Apparently this was not going to be the case with Van Helsing. And since the man had just proven that he could enforce any order he made with swift and decisive action, it would behoove Carl to take him seriously when he said he needed a break. Carl sighed again and resigned himself to time off. He could always get back to it after they ate and the truth of the matter was that he was hungry.

"There's a couple of places that will deliver out here. I've got menus in one of the kitchen drawers. Any preferences on your pizza?" Carl said, one eyebrow quirked in question. Now that he had surrendered to the interruption, he was trying to get things back on a more normal footing. Not that anything about his time with the Hunter could be described as normal. It really was hard to believe how much chaos had happened in the short time he had known the man! But if they were going to be partners, he was going to have to give it a try.

Van Helsing smiled at Carl's sudden attempt at cooperation. It really was fascinating how Carl could move through an entire range of emotions in seconds and come out friendly. He knew that the man was annoyed at having his work interrupted and for being outwitted (something he was sure rarely happened to the genius) but instead of being surly and stubborn, he let it go and was accepting Van Helsing's request. Well, it wasn't exactly a request but still, the blonde was handling it with far better grace then he would have in that situation. At the thought of Carl attempting to toss him over his shoulder, Van Helsing had to bite back his laughter. Somehow, he just couldn't see geeky, nice guy Carl ever doing something so aggressive. The thought was just preposterous.

Carl saw an amused look pass across Van Helsing's face and had the paranoid feeling the guy was laughing at him. _Now what? He was trying to be cooperative and this is the response he gets? _Carl was unconsciously pouting as he crossed his arms over his chest. His look screamed annoyed.

Van Helsing saw the pout and his grin grew wider. He wondered if Carl realized just how adorable that pouting, sulking look was. Probably not and if Van Helsing were to point it out to him, he's probably sulk even more. Van Helsing was tempted to say something since he really did find the pout appealing but on the other hand, it was probably best to keep things strictly professional. He really needed Carl's help with this mission and he couldn't afford to screw things up just for a quick fling. Best to resist temptation for once.

"Carl, quit sulking. Let's just order the pizza and get down to working out the details of this partnership. I think as this last little incident showed, you need some work on your obedience skills"

Carl glared at him and said, "You make me sound like a dog you want to teach to heel. I wasn't under the impression that you were planning on ordering me around in my own lab. I thought my work was my own business and that I'm only under your jurisdiction when there's danger about."

Van Helsing shook his head and said, "I wasn't trying to order you around. I was just trying to get you to take a break. You've hardly had any sleep since I've got here and when was the last time you ate?" He looked at Carl pointedly who squirmed a bit under the Hunter's gaze. Part of him felt bad for making Carl so uncomfortable but he also knew that he had to establish clear expectations of how things were going to work between them. He couldn't have Carl working himself into a state of exhaustion just because he was trying to prove something.

Carl bit his lip in discomfort and finally said "You're right, I have been working a bit too hard. It's my worst failing. I get caught up in things and I forget all about stuff like eating and sleeping. It's why there's a cot in the lab. Sometimes I work to the point where even going up the stairs seems like too much work. But I'll make more of an effort if it's that important to you." Carl was practically mumbling and his head was lowered to hide his face

Carl's body language spoke of embarrassment and shame and Van Helsing felt a twinge of guilt. He hadn't meant to make Carl feel ashamed of his tendency to lose track of time while he was working. He only wanted him to see that Van Helsing was trying to help by getting him to take a break. As he looked at Carl who was still staring resolutely at the floor, he realized that Carl had probably taken a lot of abuse for this habit of his. And as someone who had taken his own share of abuse for inborn habits, he felt a certain kinship for the man.

"Carl, I wasn't lecturing you. In fact, I'm the last person who should be lecturing anyone on their bad habits. There's a reason I'm out here on my own." Van Helsing grinned at Carl who seemed to relax a bit, even offering a tentative smile back. Seeing that he was getting through, he continued on. "Now we're both a bit new to all of this and we don't know each other very well, but I hope that we can establish enough of a relationship that we can say when we think the other person is overdoing things. After all, you aren't much help to me if you collapse from exhaustion." Van Helsing said this last bit with a teasing smile to take the sting out of it.

Carl looked at Van Helsing and nodded. "You're right. To be honest, I'm not use to people worrying about me. Most people don't care about what I'm doing unless they need me to be somewhere. And since I've been single for a while, I've been pretty much left to my own devices. Guess I've gotten a bit sloppy about insuring the basics like regular meals and rest. I use to set alarms for myself to remind me to take breaks. Guess I better get back in the habit so I don't get carted out again." Carl blushed fiercely for moment and then said "I can't believe you just tossed me over your shoulder like that!"

Van Helsing just chuckled and said "It seemed like the most effective method. And since it's got you agreeing to take better care of yourself, then I'd say I made the right choice. Speaking of which, what do you say we finally order that pizza? I'm in the mood to celebrate."

Carl smiled back and said "Large with everything on it? I have to confess, I'm starving!" He got up and started to walk towards the door to get the phone number.

Van Helsing nodded and said "Then we'd better get two because I'm pretty hungry myself. And I don't suppose you have any decent beer around here?"

Carl raised his eyebrow in mock distain. "Please, this is a high brow establishment. We have nothing but the best here." He was almost out the door when he heard Van Helsing's muttered response. "Nothing but the best? Then what the hell am I doing here?"

Carl turned to see Van Helsing scrunching down in the chair. He smiled at the rare sign of insecurity in the man and felt his heart warm towards him. "You're here because you are the best partner I've had" Carl smiled warmly as he leaned against the door jam. Van Helsing looked at him skeptically and said "And how many other partners have you had?"

Carl grinned and said "You're the first but I'll keep you because you've got a lot of potential" And with that parting shot, he left the startled Hunter to his thoughts.

He chuckled to himself as he headed towards the kitchen to find the pizza menus. Van Helsing may be a big, bad monster hunter but he was as much a novice as Carl was at this whole partnership thing. That meant that they were on a level playing field here and Carl rather liked that fact. He also liked the fact that Van Helsing actually cared about him rather then just what Carl could do for him. This partnership is turning out to be a really good thing. He was looking forward to seeing how things progressed over the next few weeks…


	9. Chapter Nine

**_This chapter ened up being a total surprise to me. Didn't go at all where I expected but that's the fun of writing._**

Van Helsing watched Carl leave, his thoughts swirling about his head. He thought that Carl wouldn't hear his muttered comment and was surprised by Carl's response. _You're the first but I'll keep you because you've got a lot of potential. _Potential… it had been a long time since anyone had said that about him. Years in fact.

Van Helsing had been working as a runner for a bookie when he was approached by the Order. They told him that he had been born a Hunter – a rare person with special gifts that would enable him to fight evil. They said they wanted to take him back with them to receive the training he should have gotten years ago. He had told them to stuff their offer, thinking it was just some scam to trick him into god knows what but they had proven persistent.

Refusing to take no for an answer, they had shadowed him on his runs. This inevitably led to an ugly situation with the criminals he dealt with on behalf of his boss. The fight had been nasty and full of knives but Van Helsing had come out of it without a scratch. The Order members once again tried to convince him that his superior reflexes and speed were part of his gifts. They argued that he was wasting those gifts away on a life of crime. He was more then a thug, he was a child of Destiny.

Van Helsing had lost it at that point. "Child of destiny? Listen mates, I'm not the child of anything. I got left on a doorstep of St. Patrick's church with not so much as a note to say please look after me. I've been in every orphanage and juvie hall in the tri-county area and the only reason I've got a name is that the priest who found me baptized me before handing me off to the State. I'm a damn good fighter because you need to be if you want to survive being in the "care" of the State. I'm not one of your damn Hunters and I don't give a rat's arse about "fighting for Good". Where the hell was Good when I was getting the crap beat out of me by an official who was trying "beat the wickedness out of me"? He had stormed off and spent the rest of the night drinking himself into oblivion.

Van Helsing had intended to continue on with his life as it was. Fate, however, decided to intervene. His boss, the bookie, apparently pissed off the wrong people and ended up getting killed along with his two bodyguards. And since Van Helsing had never been all that popular with the other criminal elements that worked those streets, he was not only out of work but without protection. It wasn't surprising, therefore, when several days later, he got jumped by goons who worked for a rival bookie.

He fought hard but he was badly outnumbered and it was looking like this time, he wasn't going to make it out of there alive. He was being held by 2 goons while being worked over by the others when suddenly all hell broke loose. The goons let go of him and he dropped to his hands and knees, coughing blood. He didn't see who was helping and at that point didn't care. If they decided to go after him next, there was nothing he could do about it.

The fighting ended pretty quickly and he heard footsteps approaching him. Deciding to show some bravado, he pushed himself upright, trying to look like he wasn't afraid. He was stunned to see the two Hunters from the Order. One of them looked at him and said, "Is this all you want from your life? To die in an alleyway at the hands of thugs? Just another piece of garbage?" Van Helsing snarled, "I am just a piece of garbage. Another worthless scrape of humanity that society would like to forget about. This I learned real early in life"

The Hunter just looked at him sadly and said, "This is the Order's fault. You should have been under our protection a long time ago. We don't know how it came to be that you were lost but I promise you, we are here now and we intend to see to it that you are given all the things that should have been yours. You are not alone anymore, Gabriel. " He held out his hand to Van Helsing who took it shakily. The Hunter helped him gently to his feet and led him out of the alley.

For the next couple of days they took care of him. There wasn't a lot of conversation and Van Helsing knew they were waiting for him to feel better to begin their recruitment campaign. After two days he had become so bored that he decided to bring the topic up himself.

"So, tell me more about the Order" he said, trying to seem blasé about the whole thing. The Hunter, whose name was Collette, looked at him thoughtfully and then moved to sit closer to the bed.

"The Order has been around for thousands of years. Some say that it has existed since the first evil walked the land. It was founded to hunt down and destroy evil in its many forms. You and I are part of a special breed of men, born to destroy these dark creatures in the name of Good. We are the Hunters – gifted with the skills of a warrior. Your speed, agility and most of all your healing ability are all signs of who you are. There are other gifts as well. Gifts you have not had the training yet to utilize. When you are well enough to travel, you will be taken to our Headquarters where you will be shown all you need to know to take up your rightful place."

Van Helsing frowned at this. "My rightful place? I haven't agreed to anything yet. And what are these other gifts?" He looked at Collette with deep suspicion.

The Hunter sighed. "Among other abilities, you will have the power to sense evil. Some times the things you will come up against will seem quite innocent but the gift of the Hunter cannot be fooled. This skill will be one that you will come to prize greatly as it will save your life many times over."

"Save my life?" Van Helsing said sharply. "I'm not so sure I want a job that puts my life in that kind of danger.

Collette looked at him impatiently. "This is not a job, Gabriel. This is your calling. This is what you were born to be. The Order will see that you have the training and tools that you need to be a Hunter. And its not like you have not been living a life of danger. Had we not been following you, you would have died in that alleyway. The Order offers you a chance to fight for something that matters. You have had a hard life and have much to be bitter about. I wish I could take that away from you but I cannot. But you can chose a different road. Will you continue to live on the streets, fighting for your survival or will you become the warrior you are meant to be?" He stared intently at Van Helsing, the challenge in his eyes apparent.

Van Helsing stared back at him defiantly but the words of the Hunter rang in his head. Did he want to go back to the streets where he was as good as dead? All his life he had to fight to have even the smallest of things. He had been looked down upon as worthless from the time he was born. This man was offering him a chance for a life of respect and a place to belong. While he always told himself such things were traps that no real man would tolerate, the reality was that he wanted them very much. And the fact was he had nothing to hold him here.

Four days later he was on a plane to Rome. Little had he known that life as a Hunter in many ways was no different from the life he thought he had been leaving behind. Respect, as it turned out was not in the cards. Neither was belonging.

And yet here was Carl offering him both. Could he really believe that this time it could work out? He looked at the door that Carl had left through, a frown marring his face. The cynical part of him said not to get comfortable. That it would only be a matter of time before Carl got bored with his little charity project. But another part of him said to give this a chance. That here was an opportunity to find something he had been missing all his life. He shook his head and got up from the chair, his conflicting thoughts causing him to pace across the room.

Experience had taught him that people generally didn't want him around. It had been something of a theme in his life. Why would this be any different? He paced some more, his frown growing deeper. He thought about his time with Carl – god, had it really been only 24 hours? Somehow it felt like they had been together a lot longer. A smile briefly crossed his face as he remembered how much chaos had happened in the short period of time. Life with Carl would never be boring, that's for sure.

Thinking back over it all, he realized that Carl had probably seen him at his worst and still hadn't run. He had snarled at him, ragged on him, threatened him, scared him half to death and Carl was still hanging in there. No one else had ever held up under even a portion of what he had put Carl through and in spite of it all, Carl was hanging around for more.

This thought stopped him dead in his tracks. Carl didn't seem to mind his moods. Hell, he even seemed to be adapting to them, not out of fear but because he wanted to. This thought so shocked him that he collapsed back down in the chair. It would appear that Carl wanted him to stay around.

It was in this slightly dazed state that Carl found him. Carl had called in the order, then headed back towards the living room, beers in hand. He had paused in the doorway though when he saw Van Helsing. The normally self-possessed Hunter seemed almost… lost. Carl felt a surge of compassion for the man. _This can't be very easy for him. He's use to only having to deal with himself and now he's got a partner he didn't ask for and a home base that could double as a mausoleum. _Carl knew he was going to have to try extra hard to make Van Helsing feel more comfortable here.

Clearing his throat to get Van Helsing's attention (having learned the price of startling the man) he walked slowly towards him, beer held out before him like an offering. Van Helsing quickly shifted to his usual mask of confidence and took the beer. Carl sat down on the couch and decided how best to approach things.

Van Helsing drank from the beer to cover his still slightly rattled state and shifted so that he was lounging more comfortably. Not that you could really get comfortable on this furniture. Seeing an opening gambit, he shifted again and said "Tell me Carl, could you have found more a more uncomfortable chair then this one?" He watched the blush creep over Carl's face.

"Probably not. My grandparents were not big believers in comfort. It was all about the right appearances. I inherited the house when I was still in college so there didn't seem much point in doing anything about the décor and since then its just seemed like too big a task to do something about. I rarely have anyone here so there usually isn't anyone around to complain. But now that you are going to be staying, I should probably do something about it." He looked around the room and sighed. It really was beyond stuffy.

Van Helsing waved his hand dismissingly. "Don't bother on my account. Wouldn't want the ghosts of your ancestors rising up in protest." He drank from his bottle and tried not to feel like some mongrel who was not really suitable for the environment.

Carl just laughed and said "Please. My ancestors gave up on me in disgust ages ago. Besides, I would think you'd be trained to handle a ghost. " Carl looked mock-thoughtful and said "Wow, that's certainly an added bonus I hadn't thought of when I proposed all of this. It just keeps getting better and better…" He grunted when a pillow hit him square in the chest. "Hey, that was uncalled for. I was merely pointing out one of the many good features of this partnership"

Van Helsing looked at him skeptically. "And what are some of the other good features?"

Carl hesitated for a moment. Unfortunately the first though that came to mind was eye candy. He stalled for a moment by rearranging himself so that he was sprawled on the couch. Then inspiration struck. "Well, for starters we can have beer in our meetings. And I don't have to wear a bloody suit and tie. That alone is a first class incentive." He raised his bottle in salute.

Van Helsing just snorted. "Its quite safe to say that a suit and tie will never be necessary in this line of work. Alcohol, on the other hand is often vital." He took another drink and then set the bottle down on the table next to him. He looked at Carl who was sprawled on the couch like a cat. Away from his lab, Carl lost a lot of his geekiness and looked more like a guy you'd hang out with and have a few pints. He wondered if Carl had friends that he went to the pub with.

Carl noticed Van Helsing's speculative look and raised an eyebrow. "And what is that look all about?" He was feeling relaxed and lazy, something he hadn't been in quite a while. He was enjoying just spending time with Van Helsing.

"I was just wondering what you do with yourself when you aren't playing doctor for stray Hunters?" Van Helsing said. Soon as the words came out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back because suddenly he wondered if Carl was in the habit of collecting "strays". That thought was not very comforting.

Carl just snorted. "Playing doctor. I've hardly been doing a good job of that seeing as I've forced you out of bed to go hunting for your tojos, made you break down a door to rescue me AND made you carry me out of my lab to stop me from overworking. Frankly, you are lucky to have survived my care" Carl grinned at Van Helsing who found himself grinning in return.

"Yeah, but you did bring me breakfast in bed and fetch my stuff so it hasn't all been bad" Van Helsing said teasingly. He watched as Carl gave him a mock-pout and pretended to sulk. It made him itch to go over there and wipe the pout away with a kiss but that way lay disaster. So instead he picked up his bottle and pretended that nothing was wrong.

Carl held the sulk for another moment and then started to laugh. "We really have had quite an eventful twenty-four hours haven't we? After all of this, everything else should be downhill. Who would have thought that getting lost on the way to find dinner would turn out to be a life-changing event? He was grinning crookedly and his eyes were twinkling with mirth.

Van Helsing was caught for a moment by sparkling blue eyes and the clear invitation to share that was in them. It had been a long time since someone had wanted to include him in something. It left him feeling warm and comforted and he basked in the moment. Then the rest of what Carl said sunk in.

"What do you mean, you got lost? Are you saying that you weren't even suppose to be there that night?" He looked at Carl in surprise. Even though he had thought at the time that Carl didn't belong in that neighborhood, some part of his brain had concluded that Carl had been down there for some reason of his own. But it would appear that that wasn't the case at all.

"No, I had no intention of going there. I had a meeting at the office that ran late so I was intending to go to a restaurant somewhere near by, only I got lost getting there and finally decided to stop at the first place I saw. Not such a hot choice in hindsight seeing as I ran into the gargoyles on the way back to my car. Still, if I hadn't gotten lost, I wouldn't have met you so I guess it wasn't all bad."

Van Helsing raised an eyebrow at that last bit. "Most people would not say that meeting me was a redeeming factor." He tried to make that sound funny but the edge of bitterness couldn't be entirely concealed.

Carl heard the edge in Van Helsing's words and it bothered him. He looked Van Helsing directly in the eye and said "Well, I'm not most people. I do think meeting you was a good thing and I'm glad that you are giving me the chance to help you out with all of this. I know I'm not much help in the Hunting department but I do think there are things I can offer in other ways. And, despite certain bad habits you have - like tossing people over shoulders - I find you good company." His grin now was worthy of the Cheshire Cat.

Van Helsing was torn. The cynic in him wanted him to stay hardened and not let Carl in but there was something about Carl's genuine warmth and sincerity that was chipping away at the defenses he had built up around his heart. He looked in those blue eyes that held no trace of mockery or deceit and it was so very hard not to give in to what they offered. It was like an invitation to sit by the fire after being lost in the snow.

Carl watched the expressions chase across Van Helsing's face. There was a struggle going on and while Carl didn't understand the details, it was clear that Van Helsing wasn't sure if he could believe Carl when he said he liked him. He wondered about what lay in Van Helsing's history that made him so wary of trusting but decided that the best plan was just to pretend he didn't see the conflict and act as if Van Helsing did accept him. In time, he'd become more confident that Carl didn't intend to withdraw his friendship. With that in mind, he decided to bring things to a more friendly footing.

"You know, now that I'm actually sitting here, I'm realizing I haven't sat back and watched a movie in ages. What do you say we grab a couple more beers, pick something suitably mindless and goof off for the night?" He looked at Van Helsing with a deliberately casual expression.

Van Helsing looked bit surprised. He figured that Carl would hightail it back to his lab as soon as he finished eating. Yet here he was offering to hang out with him. It didn't make sense… unless Carl was feeling some kind of obligation to entertain him. If that was the case, he was going to put a stop to it right now.

"I'm not a guest, Carl. You don't have to entertain me. I am capable of amusing myself." He waited for Carl to agree and beg off and tried not to feel too disappointed.

Carl had to bite back a sigh. Van Helsing was going to be a tough nut to crack. "I wasn't doing it out of some misguided attempt to play the host. I was offering because I thought you might like to join me. I'm going to take the night off regardless but if you'd rather spend the night in your rooms…" he trailed off and waiting for Van Helsing to take the bait.

Van Helsing gave him an accessing look but Carl merely looked back at him, the portrait of innocence. He had a momentary struggle with his cynical side but it was no match against Carl's offer and so he shrugged his shoulder in an attempt at nonchalance and said "Sure, not like I'm doing anything else this evening.

Carl had to fight down a triumphant smile. Instead he got up from the couch and said "Well, let's take a look at what I've got and if anything appeals. I think we can rule out anything with subtitles… though I've got some good samurai flicks if you like that sort of thing." He reached the cabinet where he stored all his movies and pulled it open. It was one of his few vices and he had an extensive collection.

Van Helsing joined him at the cabinet and snorted when he saw the amount of videos Carl owned. "Christ, Carl. This is a better selection then my rental place has." He scanned the titles and was relieved to see that not all of them were highbrow art films. He even saw a couple of his favorites among the selection.

Carl colored at Van Helsing's comment. "Its one of the ways I gear down when I'm stuck on a project. Sometimes I just need to have something else to occupy my mind. And since I work such strange hours, using a video store isn't usually an option. " He shrugged and began to scan the movies, looking for one to suggest.

Van Helsing saw a couple of monster movies and rolled his eyes. Carl, seeing which movies he had been looking at, chuckled and said "I think we can safely rule those out. I really don't want to listen to you critique the Hunter's technique."

Van Helsing laughed since he knew he had been guilty of that more then a few times. Spying a possible candidate, he grabbed the case and said "How about this one?" holding it out to Carl.

Carl looked at the movie and nodded. It was a sci-fi movie from a couple of years ago that featured lots of fight scenes and cool scenery. It was perfect choice for their first attempt at hanging out together. "Sure, this one is fine. How about I grab a couple more beers while you cue things up?"

Van Helsing looked at the extremely complicated home entertainment system and said "How about I get the beers and you deal with the equipment. That is, after all, your half of this team."

Carl just chuckled and said "Fair enough. Kitchen is down the hall to the left. Feel free to grab any snacks you want while you are there." Van Helsing nodded and headed out of the room.

Carl smiled as he cued up the DVD. He was looking forward to a little bonding time with his new partner…

**_To Be Continued..._**


	10. Chapter 10

**_The Gone With The Wind reference is for NikuroSanzo who always waves me on and shares with me some of the funniest images that inspire me to do things that in hindsight, probably weren't such a hot idea. What would I do without her! And for everyone else who has been writing me reviews, big hugs to all of you. This story was concieved in a random moment and has grown into something delightful and magical - for me anyway. Knowing others are enjoying it as well is just icing on the cake!_**

The pizza had been devoured along with a bag of crisps and a number of beers. Both men were sated and lazy, sprawled in their respective seats, watching as the hero launched into another impossible fight sequence. Carl looked over at Van Helsing and said "Hey, maybe you should take some lessons with this guy. He's taking on at least 10 guys and hasn't so much as mussed his clothing." He grinned at Van Helsing, knowing that in the last hour or so, they had come to a place of friendly ribbing.

Van Helsing just growled, "Bite me Carl. I didn't see you doing so hot when you were dealing with the gargoyles. " He watched as the hero did a gravity defying leap kick and then landed neatly. He snorted in disgust and said "Not possible. Even if you pulled off that move – which you can't without wires – you'd never be able to land without at least spraining an ankle. Too much force and momentum behind you. Ridiculous. This guy wouldn't last 5 minutes in a real fight"

Carl just laughed and said "Yeah, but you got to admit, he looks good. But since you are saying you can't pull off the moves, maybe we should think about changing your clothes. Think we could track down that outfit he's wearing?" Carl looked slyly at Van Helsing, guessing that any suggestion that he wear something ridiculous in leather and studs would set him off.

Van Helsing snarled and said "It will be a cold day in hell before I wear something like that. I'm not running around like some reject from a leather club."

Carl knew he was probably pushing his luck but he just couldn't help himself. "Oh come on. You know what they say about if you dress for the job you want to have…" His grin was ear to ear but the grin quickly turned to a yelp as the Hunter launched himself from the chair and pinned Carl to the couch.

Van Helsing had Carl's hands trapped and he loomed over the smaller man. "So, still think I should wear that stupid outfit?" He pressed down on Carl to emphasize that he had him completely at his mercy.

Carl was struggling to catch his breath as it had been knocked out of him by the impact of Van Helsing slamming into him. He tried to squirm but found he was pretty much trapped. He looked at Van Helsing and suddenly felt like a rabbit that had been cornered by a predator. He swallowed heavily and managed to squeak out "No. On further consideration, I think that perhaps you should just wear whatever you feel like" He offered a weak smile and prayed for mercy.

Van Helsing fought back a grin at Carl's hasty capitulation. He pretended to think about the matter while he could practically feel the wheels turning in Carl's head. _Really, he makes it far too easy_ thought Van Helsing as he shifted his weight to get more comfortable. God, this couch is not much better then that damn chair!

Carl bit his lip as he realized that Van Helsing wasn't showing any signs of letting him go. In fact he seemed to be shifting to get himself into an even better position. This was definitely not a good thing! He looked up at Van Helsing with wide, pleading eyes and said "If I promise never again to make suggestions about what you should wear, will you let me up? Please"

A man would have had to been made of stone to resist the puppy dog pleading on Carl's face. And while Van Helsing would like to think he was hard as nails, he was just as big a sucker as the next guy when it came to that look. He let go of Carl's hand and said "Deal" He then moved himself entirely off Carl and settled himself back into his set. But he couldn't stop the laugh that came as Carl gingerly sat up and straightened his clothes.

Carl looked disgruntled over at Van Helsing. How dare he laugh at him! But the glare quickly faded as the humor of the situation struck him. "Well, along with not waking you out of a sound sleep, and borrowing your weapons without asking, I now know not to make cracks about your wardrobe. Anything else I perhaps should know about?" He smiled over at the Hunter who just grinned at him in return.

"Well, I wouldn't recommend getting caught looking through my stuff." His grin faltered for a moment as he remembered how he had done just that to Carl but then he shrugged it off. It was necessary to know exactly who he was dealing with. Really it was only intelligent operating procedure… wasn't it?

Carl meanwhile was attempting not to squirm visibly. Did Van Helsing suspect he had taken a look around while he was at his apartment? If he did, then Carl was in really big trouble. But its not like he really saw anything incriminating… well, except for the magazines. At the memory of finding the magazines, Carl blushed and then mentally cursed himself as he realized he was in danger of giving himself away. He forced himself to look at the TV and try to get back into the movie.

Van Helsing focused back on Carl, just as Carl looked at the movie screen, thus completely missing Carl's momentary incriminating lapse. He felt a tinge of guilt as he looked at Carl's innocent face. The guy would be really embarrassed if he knew that Van Helsing had looked through his box of photos. Especially that last photo of his college boyfriend.

Remembering that last bit, he found his mind wandering. Carl had looked so happy in that photo. Certainly much more carefree then he had seemed in any of the other photos. Hell, more then he appeared to be now. Granted, with all that had happened, it wasn't exactly the easiest time to be relaxed but somehow he suspected that Carl didn't act like that anymore.

Sure he was kicking back now and Van Helsing had enjoyed the banter of the last couple of hours but he wondered how often Carl gave himself permission to take time off? And what did he do with it?

He looked over at Carl who had become absorbed again in the movie. He studied the blonde and remembered something he said earlier. _I rarely have anyone here…_ While that could just mean that his place wasn't the hangout spot of his group, he was more inclined to believe it meant that Carl didn't really have a lot of friends. After all, the man had a huge house and a top of the line entertainment system. It would be logical for people to want to congregate here. But the truly uncomfortable furniture implied that it rarely, if ever, happened. He frowned at that thought. Carl was a geek but he was also funny and good company. Didn't seem right that he spent so much time alone. No wonder why he was so quick to offer a place here. The guy was probably lonely.

He picked up his beer and took a drink. He could certainly understand that feeling. He looked at Carl again when he laughed at some quip one of the characters had made. Carl's smile brought a smile to his own face. Carl was one of those people who's happiness was infectious. He shook his head at the thought. _God, I'm turning soft. Keep this up and you are going to wind up becoming an Oprah watching poof._

He turned back to the movie, which had reached its final battle between the hero and the bad guy. Once again he found himself critiquing the fighting style of the hero and his snort of amusement was enough to draw Carl's attention.

Carl quirked and eyebrow and said "Let me guess. You feel that our intrepid hero is showboating and that his outfit is even less fitting for a man of action then his original one."

Van Helsing snorted again. "Hell, yes he's showboating. All those flashy moves would insure that he had two broken legs and a knife in his gut. He leaves himself wide open all the time. He should have taken the bad guy out from a distance and saved the grandstanding for later. "

Carl just laughed and said "Yeah, that works in real life but makes for a pretty anti-climatic ending. After all, the whole point of this was to impress the girl so she'll go off with him. Seems like a hell of a lot of effort for such a twinkie but there's no accounting for taste." He laughed again when the hero swept the girl into his arms for the finale kiss. "See, you grandstand, you get the girl" he said with a huge grin at Van Helsing

Van Helsing looked at the screen and then back at Carl. "So let me get this straight. If I break out of a prison planet, get chased by lots of bad guys, get captured, get beat up, escape again, almost get blown up, get into a huge showdown where I get my ass kicked and yet some how miraculously manage to win, THEN I get the girl."

Carl's grin got wider "Precisely. Maybe you should have taken notes." He lounged back on the couch, his face the picture of mischief.

Van Helsing looked at Carl thoughtful and said "But I got you and I didn't have to grandstand at all. Just one fight and you took me home. Seems to me like my system works just fine and with only a fraction of the effort." He looked at Carl, his lips twitching with the effort to keep the smile at bay.

Carl flushed and opened and shut his mouth as he tried to come up with a comeback. Van Helsing continued to look him, the effort to maintain his "serious" look almost more then he could manage.

Carl finally pulled himself together and said "Yes but its hardly the same thing. They are going off to live happily ever after in true Hollywood fashion. Our relationship hardly compares." Part of him was a bit depressed at the thought. It would have been quite enjoyable to head off into the sunset to shag like mad. Really, things are always so much better in the movies.

Van Helsing just shrugged. "Well, if it bothers you, I could sweep you off somewhere. God knows that staircase out there is fit for that scene in Gone with The Wind."

Carl blushed and said "No, that's quite alright. You've carted me around enough for one day. " Still, part of him was wishing that Van Helsing had been serious about the offer. _Pull yourself together, Carl. This is all just in good fun. He's not really flirting with you._ He sighed and decided that he should probably retreat before he said something stupid.

"Speaking of the stairs, I should probably make use of them and go to bed. I've got your crossbow to fix and those briefs from the Order to review. And since you've made it clear that if I don't take care of myself, you'll drag me out of the lab, I'd best get a good night's sleep." He pushed himself to his feet and started to move towards the door. He stopped in the doorway and said "Good night, Van Helsing. I'll see you tomorrow."

Van Helsing just nodded and said "Yeah, good night." Carl left the room and Van Helsing was left alone with his beer. He drank it slowly and stared at the dark TV screen. The hero always wins. The hero always gets the girl. The hero never sits alone in an ugly room with uncomfortable furniture and wonders why he's going to bed alone.

_God, I really hates heroes!_


	11. Chapter 11

**_I am in awe of the boys' ability to avoid doing actual work. I may have to sit them both down and remind them that there are gargoyles ravaging the city while they run around having a good time..._**

The next day saw Carl happily humming as he tested the crossbow against an improvised target. The speed and smoothness had been vastly improved and he was looking forward to showing Van Helsing. Thinking of the Hunter made him smile. Last night had been a lot of fun. He was looking forward to more nights like that.

Carl hadn't ever wanted to admit it but he really did hate being by himself so much. While he had friends, many of them were not local. The problem with being a geek is you do a lot of your socializing via electronic means. They emailed and instant messaged and even talked on the phone but they didn't get together as much as he'd like. But now that Van Helsing was here, the place felt a little bit more like a home instead of just some place to be. He liked that feeling a lot.

That last thought made him realize he was really going to need to do something about the décor of the place. The thought made him cringe as he remembered the last time he talked to a decorator. He wasn't sure he could do that again. Putting the crossbow down he tried to think of other options. What if he didn't try to redo everything? He could just replace some of the worse things, like the furniture in the living room. Recalling Van Helsing's cracks about it, he thought that maybe a ceremonial burning would be in order. This thought had real promise until he remembered that they were antiques and rather valuable. Sighing in disappointment, he resigned himself to just selling them off to some poor, unsuspecting snob.

He wandered over to his desk and dug through the piles until he could find a phonebook. He decided that the easiest thing would be to find a furniture store and just buy whatever looked comfortable. Something in leather would certainly suit Van Helsing… but naked skin does tend to stick to it… He pulled his mind back from that thought. Ever since Van Helsing had pinned him to the couch not once but twice, he'd been contemplating rather naughtier versions of that scene. He sighed. Wishful thinking there!

He grabbed the phonebook and decided to occupy himself with more useful things. He flipped through the pages until he found the listings he was looking for. He jotted down a couple of locations and then closed the book. He walked out of the lab and headed down to the basement where Van Helsing was going through some training moves. He was trying to get back into shape for his next round with the gargoyles.

Carl carefully stuck just his head into the room and called out to the Hunter. He was braced to make a hasty retreat if necessary. However the Hunter was aware of Carl's presence and merely stopped what he was doing.

With danger not on the horizon, Carl was able to appreciate the view of a shirtless and sweaty Van Helsing. The man was panting slightly and Carl had to swallow hard as a wave of heat surged through his body.

Van Helsing cocked an eyebrow, as Carl seemed to lose focus for a moment. Assuming it was something to do with what Carl had been working on he merely shook his head and cleared his throat to get Carl's attention.

Carl snapped back from his hormone-induced haze and flushed slightly. "Sorry about that. Ah… I was going to head into town and look at furniture. Did you need anything?"

Van Helsing looked surprised and said, "You are going furniture shopping? What brought that on? Not that it's not a good idea because that chair of yours could cripple a person but why now?"

Carl just shrugged, still blushing and said "Well, I was thinking that we should have a couple of comfortable places to use and the fastest thing to do would be for me to just go to a store and pick out something. I had thought about burning the old stuff but they are antiques and that's a bit wasteful even if they are god-awfully uncomfortable.

Van Helsing grinned at the suggestion but nodded. "It is a shame. I would have liked to set fire to the chair personally"

Carl grinned as well and said "Well, I guess you are just going to have to settle for picturing some snobby antiques collector suffering in silence over their latest acquisition" This got them both laughing and the companionable connection from the night before resurfaced.

Van Helsing continued to chuckle as he walked towards Carl. "Just promise me that you won't buy something ugly and flowered. I'm out of here if you do"

Carl snorted and said, "Do I look like the type to like flowers and chintz? But if you are so concerned, why don't you come along. Then you can insure that we end up with something suitable to your masculine sensibilities."

Carl had been kidding when he said this but Van Helsing shrugged and said "Fine. Maybe this way I can make sure that the stuff can actually be sat on without causing permanent damage. " He stopped for a minute in front of Carl and said, "Give me 10 minutes to shower and change and we can head out"

Carl was stunned. He never thought Van Helsing would agree to come. He felt like he just had to confirm that he was serious. "You are going to come with me?" He looked at Van Helsing with an unknowingly pleading face.

Van Helsing just shrugged and said, "If I'm going to be here for a while, I might as well see to it that the stuff is comfortable. Now, if that is settled, I'm going to go get cleaned up" He moved past Carl and headed off.

Carl leaned against the wall and grinned from ear to ear. Van Helsing was coming with him. They were going to spend some more time together. Ok, it was furniture shopping which wasn't the most exciting way to spend time but hey, it was still better then nothing. He pushed himself away from the wall and hummed happily as he headed off to find his wallet and car keys.

Van Helsing was heading towards his room and wondering what the hell he had just agreed to. Furniture shopping. It was so… domestic. He was not a domestic kind of guy. But when Carl made the offer to join him, he found himself saying yes before he even thought about it. Reaching his room he walked in and closed the door behind him. He stripped off the sweat pants he had been wearing and headed for the shower.

So why had he say yes?

He stepped into the shower and mulled over that thought while he washed up. Why had he? This morning when he got up, he had wandered down to the kitchen looking for food. Hearing the usual music coming from the lab, he headed in to see what Carl was up to. As expected, he was already at work on the crossbow. However, Carl stopped what he was doing when he saw him and made a point of checking in with him to see if he had everything he needed. When he had mentioned needing a space to work out in, Carl had told him that he had a space in the basement where he practiced his martial arts and that he was welcome to use it. That had surprised him a bit since he would never have pegged Carl as having fighting skills but Carl had smugly informed him that martial arts was as much about the mind as the body and that it helped him focus.

Carl had then told him about the improvements he was making on the crossbow and that it would be ready for use later that morning. It had all been friendly and relaxed and a nice change from his usual conversations with people he worked with. Most of the people who worked for the Order were surly and short when forced to talk with him. Carl's friendly chatter was actually rather soothing.

Van Helsing paused for a moment and thought about that last bit. Was that why he said yes? Because he enjoyed being around Carl? Last night had been enjoyable and it had been a long time since he had just spent time with someone. He was a loner by habit and usually only spent time with someone when the need for sexual release became too much to ignore. But as soon as that had been taken care of, he usually just left.

He rinsed off while he thought some more about that. While he was certainly attracted to Carl, he also actually liked the guy. Carl was friendly and funny and didn't seem to mind his somewhat sarcastic attitude. Van Helsing had never really had friends. Growing up, it didn't pay to get too close to anyone and later he was too busy trying to survive to ever really let anyone close. Even his time with the Order had not left him with anyone he could really call a friend.

He shut off the water and stepped out of the tub. Grabbing a towel, he dried himself off while he contemplated the concept of friendship with Carl. Despite his cynical and untrusting nature, the thought wasn't an unwelcome one. Somehow it was impossible not to trust Carl. Shrugging he decided that he was thinking about it too much. They'd go out, they'd buy a couch and come home. It wasn't like this was some kind of deep commitment. He draped his towel over the shower rod and walked out of the bathroom. He grabbed some clothes and got dressed quickly, not forgoing the tojos despite the likelihood of this being an uneventful trip. No point in getting sloppy.

Once dressed he headed downstairs to find Carl. He found him sitting at a computer reading his email. However, the moment he saw Van Helsing, he quickly signed off and got up.

"OK then. Shall we go and see what we can find? There's three stores within about 20 miles of here so I don't think we'll have any problem finding something we can live with." He grabbed his keys and jacket and began to head out of the room.

Van Helsing frowned "Three? Christ Carl. Do you really think it's going to take that long? We're looking for a couch and a chair, not redecorating the entire house."

Carl ducked his head a bit and murmured. "I have no idea how long it will take. I've never bought furniture before. I just thought it would be good to be prepared. You know, in case the first story turns out to be full of flowers and chintz." He was avoiding looking at Van Helsing which was a clear sign he was feeling insecure.

Van Helsing sighed. He hadn't meant to make Carl uncomfortable. He should have guessed that Carl was being his usual, detail-oriented self. Trying to smooth things over he said "Good point. Well, let's get this show on the road. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get rid of those god-awful monstrosities you call furniture."

Carl gave a small smile and said "Onward then into battle" He gestured for Van Helsing to go first and then set the alarm and locked the door. As he headed out the car, a thought occurred to him. "Do you drive? I never really thought about it until now."

Van Helsing shrugged and said, "Yeah, I drive when I need to. But I have to travel a lot so it's not really worth owning a car. When I need one, I rent one."

Carl nodded and said "Well, you are welcome to use this car any time you need to. Still, we might want to think about having a spare. Something larger in case we need to transport equipment or weaponry. " Carl got that unfocused look that said he was contemplating logistics.

Van Helsing just rolled his eyes and removed the keys from Carl's hand. Carl's eyes came back into focus but Van Helsing just gave him a push towards the passenger side and said, "Forget about it. You've got that 'I'm working out the details" look and I have no desire to get wrapped around a tree somewhere. I'm driving"

Carl blushed a bit but allowed himself to be relegated to passenger status. At least Van Helsing hadn't lectured him on how he was always getting distracted in the middle of a conversation. He climbed into the car and pulled out his list of stores. He handed it to Van Helsing and said, "Since we have no idea what any of these stores carry, how about we just start with the one that is closest."

Van Helsing consulted the list and said "Ok, how about this one on Main Street? That should be easy to get to. " Carl nodded and Van Helsing started the car. It took him a moment to figure out how to adjust all the mirrors and get the seat comfortable but then they were off. He tried to drive conservatively since it wasn't his car and he observed Carl out of the corner of his eye to see how he was handling someone else being behind the wheel. Carl, however, looked surprisingly relaxed. Guess he wasn't that possessive of his car.

Van Helsing turned his attention to the road and realized he wasn't exactly sure how to get out of the neighborhood. Carl clearly recognized this and started to give unobtrusive directions. Already they were starting to work like a team. Van Helsing wasn't sure if he should be pleased or scared.

They found the first store without too much trouble, which they hoped, was a good sign. However, walking in the door made them start to doubt. The place was huge and there was furniture everywhere. Van Helsing's hope that this would be an in and out endeavor melted like ice cream on a hot day.

Carl looked around in dismay and said, "I had no idea there was so many types of furniture. I mean, I guess I knew it on some subconscious level but to see it all laid out…" He trailed off and waved his arms in a wide sweeping gesture.

Van Helsing looked grim and then said, "Well, best plan will be to split up. We can cover more ground that way. You see anything that remotely looks feasible, yell out and I'll come over."

Carl raised his eyebrow in surprise. Van Helsing was making this sound like a military reconnaissance mission. But given his profession, it wasn't too surprising. Carl was about to agree when an extremely chipper sales man materialized from out of nowhere.

"So, from the looks on your face, you're finding all of this a little bit much. Most men do. But not to worry, I am an expert in guiding people in finding just the right furniture to fit their lives." The sale man smiled winningly at Carl, who smiled weakly back and then at Van Helsing who just gave him a "just keep your distance" look. The salesman's smile faltered for a moment but rallied nobly. He had dealt with difficult customers before and had the awards to show for it. Deciding that Carl was likely the one who could be easily dealt with, he returned to smiling at him. "Hi, My name is Mike. So what exactly are you gentlemen looking for today?"

Carl was feeling a little put off by Mike's rather oily charm but knew that they were going to need help if they were going to get out of here some time today. So he smiled back and said, "We need living room furniture. Something comfortable and unfrilly. Couch, chair, probably a coffee table and a side table. "

Mike nodded, the smile never wavering. "Well you've come to the right place. I'm sure we can find something to suit your needs. " He glanced over at Van Helsing who was still doing his impression of a big, dark rain cloud. "So how about something in leather? We've got some great sets that I think you will agree are very comfortable and fall into the category of unfrilly"

Carl was about to open his mouth when Van Helsing spoke. "No. No leather." They both looked him, waiting for the next part of the statement but that was all that was forthcoming. Carl just shrugged and said "Well, it would appear leather is out. What else can you offer?"

Mike looked at Van Helsing again and then quickly looked away. It was clear that Van Helsing's unwavering dislike of shopping was starting to eat away at his never say die salesman's attitude. Slightly rattled he said, "Well, maybe this would go better if I had some idea of what you do like. What is your furniture like now?"

Again came a grunt from Van Helsing. "God awful uncomfortable"

Carl flushed and said, "Our place is currently decorated with my grandparents' furniture. Its not what you would call comfortable in even the most generous of terms and its certainly not the kind of furniture I'm looking for today." He looked rather helplessly at Mike who sighed; his no problem is too tough demeanor slipping a bit.

Mike pursed his lips in thought and then said. "Ok, well how about we try this? I'll show you a cross section of possible types and we can begin weaning out what you absolutely don't want. That will give me some ideas on what to suggest."

Van Helsing didn't look too pleased at this but Carl agreed since there really wasn't any other option. Mike looked around for a moment and then said, "Why don't you follow me"

They began to wind their way through the store and Mike pointed out various styles of furniture. Modern stuff of glass and metal was quickly eliminated, as were some of the more traditional "country" styles. They walked past one set of leather furniture on their way to someone else and Carl couldn't resist asking Van Helsing what his objections were.

Van Helsing looked vaguely uncomfortable and said "You stick to leather". He then moved quickly away leaving a stunned Carl to some rather naughty thoughts.

Mike noticed he had lost Carl and quickly circled back in the hopes that something had caught his eye. Finding him looking at the leather furniture that had already been vetoed, he cleared his throat and said, "I thought leather was out"

Carl started and then flushed bright red. He stammered out "ah… yes, its still off the list" He quickly ducked his head and fled up the isle.

Mike watched Carl's retreating back and began to wonder exactly what kind of living arrangement existed between the two guys. The dark haired one was attractive in that dangerous kind of way but he seemed rather bad tempered. Carl on the other hand was decidedly cute and far more approachable. He looked back at the huge leather couch and thought that Carl would look very good indeed spread out on it.

Mike caught up to the two men and decided that he would subtly check out the lay of the land. He dragged Carl over to one couch and said "Ok, how about we start having you try them on for side. This one here is very comfortable and I think you will agree that it's not frilly." He eased Carl down onto the couch and then with a flirtatious smile said "Go on. Lay back and really check it out. After all, a couch has to be big enough to really get comfortable on."

Carl shrugged and complied. He was ready to start narrowing the field a bit. He laid back and then wriggled around a bit to get truly comfortable. Mike knelt down and adjusted a pillow under his head and said, "So, what do you think? Can you see yourself laid out on this one?" He smiled at Carl who looked back at him a bit uncertainly. What exactly had he meant by that last comment?

Van Helsing was eying Mike with extreme dislike. He didn't like the way Mike was coaxing Carl to lay out on the couch. Carl laying out like that was … tempting. And Carl shouldn't be tempting random sales clerks. Van Helsing growled and said, "Get up Carl. That couch is ugly."

Carl sprang up immediately, almost knocking heads with Mike who had been leaning in a bit. "Ok, then lets see what else is available." To be honest he was glad to be getting up. It had felt a bit weird lying there with Mike hovering over him and Van Helsing standing there like some kind of avenging angel.

Mike shrugged and said "Well, what precisely don't you like it about it? If I knew, then I could eliminate others that have the same traits"

Van Helsing glared at him and said, "The pattern is something an Italian grandmother would pick and the material looks itchy"

Carl raised his eyebrow in surprise. That wasn't exactly the kind of feedback he had been expecting. Still, he was right about the material, it was kind of scratchy. "Good point. I wouldn't have thought of that. You know, this whole furniture buying thing is turning out to be much harder then I thought it would be."

Mike tapped his foot and thought about what to try next. The scary one hadn't made a comment about his proximity to Carl, only about the couch itself. So maybe there wasn't anything between them. If so, then he'll just have to make sure that the next couch he showed them was more to the dark one's taste. That way he could keep Carl on it a bit longer. Thinking quickly, he thought of the perfect one.

"I think I may have just the thing. It's a solid color so no ugly granny pattern…" he directed this last bit at Van Helsing who didn't look at all amused "And its got a cotton blend material covering it which should suit your skin just fine" This last bit was aimed directly at Carl with a slightly seedy smile.

Carl looked away and tried to suppress a small cringe. He was beginning to think that Mike was trying to charm more then a sale out of them and it was making him uncomfortable. The last thing he needed was for Van Helsing to witness Carl being hit on by the guy they were trying to get furniture from. He made a non-committal noise and followed Mike. He didn't dare look at Van Helsing for fear of what he would see.

Van Helsing meanwhile was absolutely fuming. If that guy made one more suggestive comment, he was going to punch him. And why wasn't Carl doing anything? Van Helsing looked at Carl who was nodding as Mike continued to spew a stream of sales talk. A horrible thought crossed his mind. What if Carl was actually interested in this clown? He gave Mike the once over and decided that the guy was good looking in a sleazy used car salesman kind of way. Surely Carl wouldn't be interested in someone like that.

They reached the next living room set and Mike immediately dragged Carl to the couch and pushed him down on it. Carl looked a bit startled by the manhandling but wasn't able to get a word in edgewise as Mike began his spiel.

"So I think this one is it. Its comfortable and casual enough to suit a man's space." He grabbed Carl's hand and began to run it over the material. "And the material is nice and soft. Just feel that. Makes you just want to purr, doesn't it" He gave Carl another smile and Carl swallowed hard.

Carl knew without a doubt that Mike was hitting on him. He also knew that he needed to handle this subtly if he didn't want Van Helsing to pick up on what was going on. He tried to detach his hand without drawing too much attention but Mike's grip was too firm.

Then Mike decided to up the ante by trying to get Carl down onto the couch. That was the final straw for Van Helsing. He grabbed Mike by the shoulder and wretched him away from Carl. He then grabbed Carl and yanked him off the couch. He glared at Mike and said "I think you've shown us enough for one day." He then began dragging Carl out of the store.

Carl was utterly humiliated and could only pray for a miraculous lightening strike. They were almost to the door when the manager intercepted them.

"Gentlemen, I can't help but notice that you seem upset. Is there a problem?"

Carl just blushed and kept his head down but Van Helsing just growled and said "Your sales clerk's behavior crossed the line" Mike meanwhile had just caught up with the two of them and saw that his boss was now part of the equation. He blanched and then tried to quickly cover his ass.

"Bob, I think there has been a bit of a misunderstanding between the gentlemen and myself. Please let me apologize if any part of my behavior was misinterpreted. Believe me, I was only trying to insure that whatever furniture you purchased would completely suit your needs."

Van Helsing just glared angrily at Mike and said, "You were doing a hell of a lot more then that, buddy."

Carl cringed even more. Could this get any more embarrassing? He grabbed Van Helsing's arm and said, "Look, lets just forget about this and go home. Clearly this was a bad idea."

The manager, realizing he had a customer service nightmare on his hands, quickly stepped in. "Please, don't leave. How about I take care of you from here on out? I can assure you that you will have no further incidents while you are here." He gave a look at Mike that said that words would be exchanged later.

Van Helsing fumed for a bit longer and then said, "Fine. But you've got 30 minutes and then we're out of here. I've had just about all I can take of shopping."

Then manager nodded and said "Give me a moment to find out what Mike has already shown you and I'm sure I can have you out of here by then." He grabbed Mike by the arm and dragged him off to the side. It was clear that Mike tried to defend himself but was cut off. There were a few more moments of discussion then the manager rejoined them.

Carl kept his head down and made eye contact with no one. He was humiliated beyond belief and just wanted to get this over with so he could go home and lock himself in his room where he wouldn't have to face Van Helsing.

The manager, sensing the various moods of the men got quickly to work. He showed them one set that was ok but wasn't quite right. The next one was closer and the third was perfect. It was a dark blue; large enough that even Van Helsing could lie out on it and the matching chair was comfortable enough to make the grade. The paperwork was quickly and efficiently filled out, with a discount thrown in to make up for their "unfortunate" experience earlier. Delivery was set and soon both men found themselves on the sidewalk in front of the store. In all that time, neither man had said a word to the other.

The walk back to the car was achieved in painful silence and finally Carl couldn't take it anymore. Once Van Helsing closed the door behind him, Carl turned to him and said, "For crying out loud, Van Helsing, will you just say it and get it over with?"

Van Helsing glared at Carl and said "Say what?"

Carl blushed and said "Oh come on. You know what I'm talking about. Just say it and get it over with. Believe me, nothing you can say can make things any worse then they already are." Carl hunched back in his seat and prepared himself for the worst.

Van Helsing continued to glare at Carl who was clearly cringing in embarrassment. Finally he said "I can't believe you let that guy hit on you like that. The guy was a creep"

Carl looked at Van Helsing and said "Let the guy hit on me? LET him hit on me? I don't remember ever giving him permission. I wasn't even sure he was until he grabbed my hand and started rubbing it."

Van Helsing let out an angry snort and said "Oh please. I knew he was hitting on you when he got you down on that couch the first time. _Can you see yourself laid out on this one?_ The guy was hoping to help you break the damn couch in"

Carl flushed beet red and looked away. God, Van Helsing was right. He had been hitting on him from the start. Carl winced as he realized that he looked like an even bigger idiot then he thought.

Van Helsing glared at Carl but felt a little of his anger drain away as he saw realization dawn on Carl's face. Dear God, he really had missed what was going on. The man clearly needs a keeper. Heaving a heavy sigh he said, "Let's just go home. I think I've had about all the fun I can stand for one day."

Carl just nodded, still lost in his embarrassment. They were most of the way home before either of them spoke. It was Carl who broke the silence with a softly spoken "I'm really sorry. I never thought that furniture shopping would go quite so badly. I thought we'd look at some furniture, pick something and that would be it."

Van Helsing stared out the windshield for a moment and then sighed and said "Carl, I'm beginning to believe that nothing is ever going to be simple with you around."

Carl looked glumly down at his hands and said, "This never happens to me. Really. My life is usually incredibly boring."

Van Helsing was trying to hang onto a portion of his anger but couldn't in the face of Carl's clear unhappiness over the whole situation. Shaking his head at how easily Carl seemed to get around him he said, "So, you don't normally have sales clerks trying to give you extra service?"

Carl flushed bright red and mumbled "No. Usually I have a tough time getting anyone to wait on me."

Van Helsing just rolled his eyes and said "Well, you made up for it today. Remind me never to take you car shopping. The guy will be trying to get you into the back seat to show you how roomy it is"

Carl ducked his head in embarrassment and said, "I'm not THAT naïve. Just because I missed the signals with Mike doesn't mean I'm completely innocent. " Carl felt an overwhelming urge to stick his tongue out at Van Helsing.

Van Helsing chuckled and said "Carl, I'm beginning to think that you are not safe to be let out alone. I'm going to have to keep an eye on you from now on."

Carl looked at Van Helsing in alarm. What exactly did he mean by that? "Van Helsing, you can't exactly let one out of character incident color your judgment. I assure you that this was not a normal occurrence for me. I'm hardly in need of someone to watch over me." He tried to glare sternly at Van Helsing but it wasn't having the desired effect.

Van Helsing just laughed and said, "Carl, I suspect that it happens to you a lot more then you think and you just never notice. And since as your partner, my job is to keep you safe, then its my job to protect your virtue from those who would try to sully it" The grin on his face would have made the Cheshire Cat proud.

Carl just glared at Van Helsing and then turned away with an angry huff. He sat with his arms crossed and glared out the window.

Van Helsing continued to smile as he drove the rest of the way home. Carl could sulk all he wanted but Van Helsing was going to see to it that no sleazy predators were going to get within ten feet of him. After all, what were partners for?


	12. Chapter 12

_**Just want to say that this chapter is not as light and fluffy as most. Important stuff but not goofy.**_

Carl was still sulking when they pulled into the driveway and Van Helsing decided that for the sake of peace and harmony, he was going to have to do something to pull Carl out of his mood. Deciding that the best way would be to distract Carl with something else, he picked his bait accordingly.

"I was thinking I should probably check out the intel that Jinette has sent to me. The briefs are of no use to me but they might have sent me some information on how they think the gargoyles got here." He watched Carl out of the corner of his eye and saw Carl perk up a bit. _Gotcha! _

Still, Carl was not going to make it too easy for Van Helsing and said "I suppose if you have no interests in the briefs then you should pass them along to me and I can see what I can make of them. " He walked to the door and unlocked it, then turned off the alarm, the portrait of cool disinterest.

Van Helsing stifled a laugh at Carl's performance. He knew damn well that Carl was champing at the bit to see the files but was playing it cool because he was still upset that Van Helsing had implied that he need a keeper. Which he did but that was a topic best saved for another time. Right now he needed to get back into the saddle and get some work done. While he wasn't quite in top physical shape yet, he did need to start making plans for how to track the gargoyles back to their nest and how to wipe them out. Gargoyles were much more fierce when defending their nest. If Carl could figure out some way to incapacity them long enough for him to take them out, that would make everything a lot easier. Which of course looped everything back around to getting Carl in a better mood.

He followed Carl into the house and said, "The briefs will be a series of attachments. Best way to give them to you is to email them. " He kept his tone professional and his face neutral.

Carl was trying to hold onto his annoyance at Van Helsing's assessment that he was some kind of hopeless case that needed defending but it was hard in the face of a new problem to solve. Just the knowledge that there were briefs of information about something he knew nothing about was a temptation beyond resisting. His cool demeanor slipped a bit as he said, "That's fine. Send them to me and I'll start going through them. Depending on what I find, I'll try to come up with a working model for incapacitating them in the next day or two."

Van Helsing turned slightly to prevent Carl from seeing the smirk that was threatening to make its appearance. For all Carl's attempts to seem blasé, Van Helsing could see the wheels turning in Carl's head as he speculated about what he might find in the files. Carl was in the height of his geekiness now and Van Helsing knew that Carl's earlier sulk was becoming a quickly dwindling memory. In the end, Carl's curiosity will always trump his desire to hold a grudge. A useful thing really.

He headed towards the stairs saying, "My laptop is upstairs. Give me your email address and I'll send the briefs over."

Carl suddenly blushed and looked uncomfortable for a moment. Van Helsing quirked his eyebrow and said "What? It seemed like a perfectly reasonable question"

Carl's blush didn't abate and finally he mumbled "its He refused to meet Van Helsing's eyes knowing the mocking he'd see there.

Van Helsing burst into laughter. That was so typical of Carl and very appropriate. Carl just let out a small harrumph of annoyance and started to walk away towards his lab. Van Helsing desperately fought down his laughter as he tried to placate Carl. "Oh come on. You have to admit, that's a damn funny email address. And that is why you picked it – isn't it?"

Carl stopped and turned. "Yeah, it was. But it's a bit more embarrassing when you give it to a non-geek." He grinned sheepishly, looking boyishly cute. "But since in two days you've already seen me in more embarrassing situations then most people will ever see me in, its actually not so bad in comparison."

Van Helsing chuckled and said, "It suits you. Mine's completely unimaginative but then again, it was given to me by the Order. I suppose it could be worse. Had they given it to me after they got to know me, it would probably be just rolled his eyes. does that not surprise me?" Shaking his head he said, "Well, send the briefs along and I'll see what I can come up with. And your crossbow is back in service if you want to give it a test run." Frowning thoughtfully he said, "I'm going to need to set up some kind of firing range/testing facility for weapons. I've got an area I re-enforced to do some laser testing but I'm thinking we'll need something a bit more sophisticated then just a target against the wall." Carl's eyes lost focus as he began to think about what might be needed for such a facility.

Van Helsing just smiled as he watched Carl "check out". Once you put a problem in front of him, Carl was not going to stop until he solved it. And since the problem in question was one that was going to make Van Helsing's life a whole lot easier, he wasn't about to complain. Really, being partnered with a geek did have its advantages. He headed up to his room to check for the email from Jinette.

Carl wandered off to his lab with his mind on the potential mayhem they might need to test and what kinds of things would be needed for it. He completely forgot about the fact that he had been talking to Van Helsing. He was well into designing the testing area when he thought about asking Van Helsing's opinion on one aspect of it. With a gasp of horror he realized he had wandered off in the middle of the conversation without so much as a word. Wincing, he quickly hurried out of the lab and went to find Van Helsing.

Van Helsing was sitting on the bed with the laptop on his legs. As Carl had said, he was able to connect and he was reading through reports of monster activity that was happening in his part of the country. Nothing that gave him any clues as to how the gargoyles got here but it was still good to be aware of what could potentially be called in as reinforcements. He was scanning the reports when he heard a knock.

He looked up and saw Carl standing in the doorway, an embarrassed and uncomfortable look on his face. Van Helsing quirked and eyebrow and said "What did you do this time? Let me guess, you made a "small" improvement to the crossbow?" Given it some added accessories?"

Carl looked confused for a moment and said "No. What kind of accessories would a crossbow have?"

Van Helsing merely shrugged. "How should I know? You're the mad genius here. So if it isn't the crossbow then what is it? You look like you are ready to break and run at a moment's notice."

Carl squirmed a bit then said, "I'm really sorry. I completely checked out on you back there. We were talking and I got distracted and well… " Carl ducked his head in embarrassment and fidgeted even more. "I'm really sorry about that and I promise not to do it again." He stared down at the floor looking like a little boy who had broken his mom's favorite vase.

Van Helsing almost laughed at Carl's squirming and fidgeting until he realized that Carl was serious; that he thought that he was angry with him. Putting the laptop aside he said "Carl, there's no reason to apologize. I expect that to happen with you sometimes. You're a geek. It's what geeks do. "

Carl looked up but still didn't look very happy. "But I shouldn't do it. It's not right and I know it's aggravating. I get lectured a lot about it and I'm usually better then this. It's just that we get talking and then I realize something else that we could really use for the partnership and then I'm off again. Only I shouldn't because it's rude and so I should really pay more attention…" Carl trailed off when he realized he was rambling.

Van Helsing listened to Carl go on and when he finally ran out of breath said "Carl, just stop. I really don't care that you get distracted sometimes. If we're talking about something important, you can be quite certain that I will bring you back – forcibly if necessary." He said the last part with a predatory grin that had Carl gulping nervously. Seeing that the last bit had the desired effect, he continued on. "Look, I'm not exactly a Miss Manners kind of guy and I really don't care how polite people do things. Since it's just you and me here, we can play things any way we chose. So stop worrying about geeking out. Especially since its why you are on the team in the first place."

Carl looked nonplused at this. He couldn't believe that Van Helsing was saying that he didn't care about Carl's space outs. Everyone always got annoyed when he got distracted. Most of his relationships ended over his tendency to get distracted or caught up in things to the point of forgetting that someone else was around. Even Jason had gotten exasperated to the point of yelling on a more then a few occasions and this from someone who was considered a geek as well. This just didn't seem possible.

Van Helsing had picked up his laptop intending to go back to reading reports but hesitated when he saw that Carl was still standing there with a confused look on his face. He sighed and set the laptop aside again. "Carl" he said to get the man's attention. When Carl was looking at him he continued on. "Is there something else?" He knew that there wasn't but needed to give Carl a non-threatening opening

Carl blushed and shook his head. He started to turn away and then said "Well… actually…" He looked away for a moment to gather his thoughts and Van Helsing had to look down to hide his smile. In some ways, Carl was a remarkably simple person.

Carl turned his head back towards Van Helsing and asked, "How can you say you don't mind when I get distracted? I mean, I know you said that if it was important that you'd… well, get my attention, but doesn't it annoy you when I check out on you?" Carl's blue eyes were boring into Van Helsing's, looking for signs of the usual annoyance but found nothing more then amusement.

Van Helsing just shrugged and said, "It just doesn't." When Carl looked vaguely exasperated at the answer, Van Helsing just sighed and said "Look, Carl. Maybe other people have found it annoying but it just doesn't bother me. It's just something you do. Frankly I find your naivety more of a problem then the distractedness. At least the distractedness produces useful results.

Carl blushed bright red and stammered, "I am NOT naïve. Just because I wasn't expecting to get hit on in a furniture story doesn't make me naïve. And I would have handled it myself if you had given me a moment"

Van Helsing snorted and said, "Right. If I had left you to handle it, the guy would have been coping a feel while you laid there like an sacrificial virgin." Van Helsing could feel his aggravation returning as he remembered the whole incident.

Carl bristled immediately at the Van Helsing's remark. "I was not laying there like a sacrificial virgin. For starters, I'm hardly a virgin. And secondly, I was trying to deal with the whole situation subtly, a concept that I'm convinced you are completely unfamiliar with."

Unfortunately for Carl, he hit a rather sore spot for Van Helsing. Jinette was always on his case about his inability to keep his work covert. Van Helsing felt his temper flare and decided that he had really had enough for one day. He got up from the bed like a panther on the prowl and stalked across the room towards Carl.

Carl saw the set look on Van Helsing's face and swallowed hard. Suddenly his own anger towards Van Helsing evaporated and he scrambled to think of something placating to say. It was all he could do not to turn tail and run.

Van Helsing moved so he was directly in front of Carl and in a deceptively quiet voice said, "So, I'm lacking in subtlety am I? So perhaps you would care to show me exactly how you would have handled the situation?" He loomed over Carl who was looking up at him like a mouse who had been cornered by a cat.

Carl looked into the angry face and found his mind wiped completely blank. He couldn't think of a single defense in the face of Van Helsing's barely contained anger. All he could think to do was turn and run – a move that would likely only make the Hunter more furious. So he just stood there with his heart racing and his mouth dry.

Van Helsing could feel the anger burning a hole in his gut. Voices lecturing him about his failures swirled about in his head and fanned the flames of his temper. And Carl's silence only seemed to add fuel. He leaned closer to Carl and growled, "Well, come on. Show me what subtle looks like."

Carl let out a strangled meep and tried to back up. Unfortunately he backed into the doorframe. Van Helsing merely stepped forward so that Carl was trapped and snapped, "Well, I'm waiting."

"I… " Carl stammered out, his mind suddenly racing as Van Helsing continued to press him back into the doorframe. His eyes were wide and pleading as he stared up at Van Helsing. He didn't like this. Didn't like the sudden switch from friendly to anger. He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping that blocking out the angry face would help him gather his thoughts.

Van Helsing leaned his forearm against the doorway so that he was leaning in near Carl's ear. His lips twisted into an ugly sneer as he whispered, "What's the matter? I thought you said you could handle it?" He deliberately blew across Carl's ear and neck and was rewarded with a shuddering gasp.

Carl shuddered as Van Helsing's breath ghosted across his skin. It was both arousing and disturbing and left him feeling sick. Before it went any further, he knew he had to speak up. Swallowing hard he stammered out "Please let me go." His voice was weak and slightly desperate sounding but it was the best he could do.

Van Helsing pulled back with a sneer and then froze when he saw the fear and pleading in Carl's face. The anger drained away leaving a sickening pit in his stomach. He released Carl immediately and moved quickly to stand with his back to Carl. His head was bowed and his breathing was panting and harsh.

Carl closed his eyes, grateful to be free. He leaned against the doorframe feeling limp and drained. What the hell had just happened?

Van Helsing was silently berating himself for what he had just done. Not two hours ago he had promised to look after Carl and here he was preying on him just like that piece of scum from the store. And the look on Carl's face… He had to swallow hard as his stomach churned. Carl had been afraid of him. Had been afraid of what he would do to him. He wanted to pound his fist into the wall. Make himself hurt to block out the turmoil that swirled and mocked him. Carl was afraid of him. The first person to ever really trust him and he had thrown it all away. Had gotten angry and trashed it all. _No surprise there _said a mocking voice in his head._ You are a street rat and street rats don't know anything but how to be destructive._

He shook his head, trying to shut the voice up but it just continued on. _You've shown Carl your true colors. He fears you now. He doesn't trust you anymore. He'll be asking you to leave. Sending you back out on the street. All alone again. Just like you deserve._ Van Helsing sagged lower on the dresser as the voice lashed into him. The nausea threatened to chock him.

Carl opened his eyes and saw Van Helsing standing with his back him on the far side of the room. He could hear his labored breathing and saw the way Van Helsing was drawing in on himself as if steeling himself for a blow. All signs of the anger that had burned so harshly was gone, replaced by a kind of despair that confused Carl. What the hell was going on?

Carl knew that the wise thing to do would be to leave the room before something else happened. Van Helsing had scared him a moment ago with his sudden burst of anger. For a minute there, Carl hadn't know what Van Helsing would do. Hadn't known if Van Helsing would release him. _But he did release you_ came a soft voice in his head and Carl gave a quiet, shuddering sigh as he acknowledged that truth and released the tension that had held his body rigid. In the end, Van Helsing had let him go. He hadn't hurt him.

He looked again at the huddled figure across the room and knew that he couldn't leave Van Helsing like this. Now that the fear had left him, he could see that Van Helsing was suffering far more then he had. He didn't understand what had happened but he realized that he really wanted to. He didn't want this to destroy the growing bond between them. He wanted to fix this.

With that resolve in mind, he walked slowly and carefully over to the Hunter. Knowing better then to startle the man, he stopped just out of reach and called the man softly.

Van Helsing heard Carl saying his name and was stunned to realize he was standing right behind him. He slowly lifted his head and took a deep breath. _Time to face the music._ He squared his shoulders and then turned. He braced himself for the rejection he knew was to come. And this time, he couldn't argue. He had earned this by taking his anger out on Carl.

Carl could see the rigid lines of Van Helsing's body and the carefully neutral face of someone who is expecting the worst. The thought was surprisingly painful. Van Helsing was expecting Carl to strike back at him. It was like all the camaraderie that had developed between them had shattered in the wake of one angry outburst. The trust was gone like smoke on the wind.

Carl shook his head. No, he didn't want this. While Van Helsing may have scared him, he did not hurt him. In all of their interactions, he had never actually harmed him. Rattled him, yes but he always backed off before he crossed over the line. Moreover, he had shown actual care for him. OK, the tossing him over the shoulder to get him out of the lab was a bit extreme and he could have done without being dragged out of the store but the reasons for those actions were good ones. He was acting as a friend and Carl wasn't ready to let go of that. There had to be some way to fix this.

Taking a deep breath to steady him, he looked Van Helsing directly in the eye and said, "So what just happened here? I will admit that I started all of this by overreacting to your sacrificial virgin comment but things escalated pretty quickly. I don't understand what happened." He kept his voice calm and his body language relaxed. He didn't want to set anything off again.

Van Helsing looked at Carl in shock and confusion. Of all the things he had expected Carl to say, this was not one of them. He thought Carl would be upset or angry but instead he seemed... well, calm. He wasn't sure how to react. Why would Carl even want to talk about things? He had crossed the line and there was no going back from that. Why didn't Carl just tell him to leave and get it over with? He was bewildered and didn't know what he was supposed to do. He looked to Carl for clues but Carl was merely standing there waiting. He realized that Carl was expecting an answer to his question.

He looked down for a moment and then said, "I don't know what to say. I crossed the line. There's no excuse for it. I'll be out of here in if you give me a couple of minutes." He started to move away towards the closet where his bags were stored.

Carl was stunned. He hadn't expected such a harsh answer to his question. Nor did he expect Van Helsing to offer to leave. That was definitely not the response he was looking for. He moved quickly to grab Van Helsing's arm. "Wait. There's no need for you to leave. I just want to understand what happened."

Van Helsing turned to Carl and while he was trying to maintain his usual cool mask, the cracks were clearly showing. He was upset but it was clearly directed inward. "Carl, you don't have to do this. I went too far, I know that. I'll just gather up my stuff and leave." He tried to move away but Carl still had a grip on his arm.

Carl felt a stab of pain at Van Helsing's willingness to call it quits but wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Will you just STOP for a moment?" He matched his actions to his words by pulling Van Helsing up short. "There is no need for you to leave. Ok, things got a little out of hand there but no one crossed the line. YOU didn't cross the line." Van Helsing started to protest but Carl cut him off. "No, you didn't. When it came right down to it, the minute I asked you to stop, you did. That means that you didn't cross the line. As for the fight itself, these things happen. Friends fight. Its just part of the package. What's important is figuring out why it happened so we don't have to do it again." Carl was looking directly into Van Helsing's eyes as he tried to get the stubborn man to really hear what he was staying.

Van Helsing looked at Carl and felt like someone had ripped the ground out from under him. Far from ending the whole thing, Carl was trying to fix it. It didn't make sense. This was not how things work.

Carl watched the emotions chase across Van Helsing's face and realized more was going on then just a simple burst of anger. Van Helsing seemed to be unable to accept that Carl had no intentions of throwing him out. God, is this the way things went for the Hunter? Carl had known he was a loner but he had thought it was more by inclination then necessity. But for him to react like this?

More then ever, Carl wanted to work this out. If for no other reason then to show Van Helsing that not everyone walks away. He sighed and made another attempt. "Look, how about we sit down and talk about this? " He tried to gently tug Van Helsing towards the bed as he spoke.

Van Helsing felt Carl attempting to move him and resisted. "Carl, why are you doing this?" He tried to make his voice sound calm and even but it came out sounding rather needy and lost. He shook his head and tried to pull loose.

Carl tightened his grip and said, "Because you are my friend and I don't give up on my friends just because of a misunderstanding. What ever this is about, we'll work it out. Nothing's happened that is irreparable. I mean that." He tugged again at Van Helsing's arm and this time the man let himself be lead over to the bed.

Carl pushed Van Helsing down and then sat next to him. "OK, so let's start with why you were so convinced that you had to leave. Its not like this is the first time you've gotten angry with me. You were pretty cranked that time I took your tojos without asking but you didn't think you had to leave then."

Van Helsing shrugged and said, "Actually, I thought I was going to be leaving after that. You said you'd put me up for the night to make sure I didn't bleed to death and then you'd send me home. I never thought you'd tell me to stick around until I got better." He still wasn't looking at Carl but instead stared off to the side.

Carl paused for a moment in surprise. He hadn't really thought about that when he used the tojo incident as an example. "Ok, bad example." He ran his mind over the events of the last couple of days and just sighed. "God, we've really had quite a roller coaster over the last couple of days, haven't we? I guess its not too surprising that you aren't all that convinced to stick around. But I would like you to. I'd like us to stay friends, stay partners. As wild and crazy as everything has been, I like being around you. You don't seem to mind my more annoying traits and believe me, that is a rare thing indeed. " He sighed when Van Helsing still didn't make eye contact.

Van Helsing was torn between conflicting desires. When he had thought he had blown everything it was easy. He would regret what he had lost but he would be back in familiar territory. All alone and back on the streets. But Carl didn't follow the game plan and suddenly he was lost without a map. He wasn't use to people giving him a second chance. Hell, half the time they didn't give him the first one. But Carl was serious and it scared the hell out of him. If he stayed, then he had no more excuses, no more escape hatches.

He shifted uncomfortably on the bed as his emotions continued to swirl. If he stayed then they would spend more time together. He'd get use to having someone around and being supported. He'd end up letting his guard down and then it would happen. Carl would realize that Van Helsing just wasn't worth his time. He had been down this road before and he just couldn't go down it again. Better to leave now while it wouldn't hurt so much.

_But it already hurts_ came a voice in his head. He tried to deny it but it was pointless. The fact was it did hurt. While he hadn't intended for it to happen, he had come to value Carl's generous offers of friendship and trust. It was precious to him and he really didn't want to lose it. But what did he have to offer in return?

He sighed and said, "I'm no good at this stuff. I'm use to being on my own. I'll only end up ticking you off. Believe me, I've done it to everyone else." He looked at Carl for the first time, a resigned look on his face.

Carl just tilted his head and responded, "What, you think my track record is any better? There's a reason I live here alone and don't work in an office. " Van Helsing just shook his head in disagreement and Carl hurried on before he began to protest again. "Look, I see it like this. With all that has happened in the past couple of days, the fact that we are still under the same roof says a lot. OK, so we still have a few kinks to work out but it's only been a couple of days. I'd say we are doing remarkable well under the circumstances. " He turned so he was facing towards Van Helsing. "I know you are not use to having someone around but give it a chance. I think you'll find it's not so bad." Carl gave a tentative smile as he waited for Van Helsing's response.

Van Helsing sighed and said "Its already not so bad. That's part of the problem. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop." When he saw Carl's frown he said, "I'm not like you, Carl. I've lived most of my life looking out for myself. I've learned not to count on things sticking around." He shrugged as if to say it was no big deal and looked away.

Carl felt a pang of sympathy for the dark haired man. No wonder he was convinced that Carl was going to throw him out. "Well, you can count on me sticking around. And for the record, you are not as bad as you think. A bit sarcastic but that's not such a terrible thing." He smiled a bit more confidently, feeling like they were finally making some headway.

The two men sat in silence for a while and then Van Helsing said quietly "I'm sorry for what happened earlier. You caught me on a weak spot and I took it out on you. I won't let that happen again."

Carl cocked his head and said "Its ok. I know you won't. But what exactly did I do to set you off? I still don't quite understand what happened."

Van Helsing hunched his shoulders; hating the feeling of being vulnerable but knowing that he owed Carl an explanation. He stared at the door of the bathroom so he didn't have to look at Carl and said, "You said I lack subtlety. One of the things that The Order is always on my case about is the fact that I don't seem to be able to keep my work from being seen. The Order is all about obscurity and working behind the scenes but somehow my missions tend to get messy and they hate that. If it weren't for the fact I get results, they would have gotten rid of me ages ago. But that doesn't stop them from resenting me for the attention I bring them. "

Carl winced as he realized how unfortunate a choice he made in his own little temper fit. Well, time for an apology of his own. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have made that crack. I was pretty embarrassed about how the whole thing went with Mike and all and I snapped at you. It was pretty childish really and a dumb thing to lose my temper over. It's just that I feel so stupid about the whole thing."

Van Helsing finally turned towards Carl and said, "Don't feel stupid. You weren't expecting to get hit on while buying furniture." He looked away for a moment and then said, "I guess we both have our sensitive spots." He let out a soft huff of breath and shaking his head turned to Carl and said, "How about we call a truce? You don't rag on me about not being subtle and I'll leave you alone about Mike the Sleazebag."

A genuine smile lit Carl's face as he said "Deal." Holding out his hand he asked "Friends and partners?"

Van Helsing looked at the outstretched hand and the warm smile on Carl's face and felt a momentary sense of apprehension. If he agreed to this, there was no going back. Could he risk it?

He looked at Carl's friendly face and realized that he really didn't have a choice anymore. It was far too late to worry about getting hurt. He nodded and took Carl's hand.

"Friends and partners" he said.

Page 12


	13. Chapter 13

**_The boys actually work in this chapter. Try not to follow over in a faint and hurt yourself :) And as always, much gratitude and thanks to everyone who takes the time to write a review. It helps me to know if things are still ringing true_**

It was several hours after the fight that Carl finished the last of the briefs. There had been a surprising amount of information there, which made him wonder why there were no weapons designed to deal with gargoyles. For an organization that had been around for hundreds of years, they didn't seem to put their vast experience to use in any meaningful ways. And having read about the kind of damage gargoyles could do when defending their nests, he was very grateful that he was here to help Van Helsing out.

He looked at his notes with a thoughtful expression. His hypothesis about a gargoyle's sensitivity to sound had been correct. Though what no one else had put together is that the sensitivity appeared to be tied to the body composition of the monsters. Apparently they had much in common with their decorative stone counterparts. Carl was convinced that the right harmonics would create a vibrational response that would completely incapacitate the gargoyles. The problem would be finding the right pitch and frequency – kind of like trying to hit just the right note to shatter glass. It had be exact or it wouldn't work. Unfortunately there was no way to test things before Van Helsing had to face the monsters in their nest. He had to get this right the first time.

Sighing heavily, he began to sketch out the device he was trying to build. It was going to need to be very compact and portable while putting out a high volume. There were 4-5 gargoyles left and there was no way of knowing how large their nest would be or how spread out the gargoyles would be. It would have to be able to generate enough sound to cripple them all for an extended period of time since Van Helsing would have to dispatch them one by one with the tojos. Terribly inefficient but with hides that tough, there just wasn't a distance weapon out there that could do it. _For now anyway_.

Putting that aside, he settled down to get seriously to work.

Van Helsing had finished reading through the activity reports and communicated his own situation (minus the addition of Carl) to the rest of the Hunters. He didn't expect a response since the rest of the Hunters avoided him at all costs but it still paid to follow procedures in situations like this. While he may not like the other guys, he didn't want anyone else to walk into a situation blind like he had.

Now he was trolling the police reports looking for any kinds of activity that might give him some ideas as to where the gargoyles might be nesting. He suspected that they were probably in an abandoned warehouse somewhere near the place they attacked Carl but he had learned not to make assumptions. Seeing a couple of damage reports that looked promising, he made plans to check them out tonight. He hadn't patrolled in a couple of nights and it was time he got back to it. He wasn't in top form yet but he wasn't planning on taking them on tonight. Get a trail, find where they are and then come back with Carl's secret weapon and take them out nice and easy.

Speaking of Carl, he should probably check in on him and see if said secret weapon was likely to happen. If not, he would need to check out the place with a Plan B in mind. Strapping on his tojos and grabbing his jacket, he headed out to talk to Carl.

When he poked his head into the lab, he found Carl hunched over a series of drawing scribbled with undecipherable notes on them. Clearly he had found something of use in the briefs. Van Helsing cleared his throat and said, "I'm going to head out and patrol. There's a couple of property damage reports that look promising for finding a trail on the gargoyles."

Carl frowned at Van Helsing. "Isn't that dangerous? You aren't completely back in shape and I've read about how bad those things are if you corner them in their nests. They'll take you apart. You need to wait a day until I can complete a working model on the debilitator." He looked at Van Helsing expectantly, waiting for his agreement.

Van Helsing just shook his head and said, "I don't intend to follow them that far. I just want to get their trail and figure out where the nest is. I'm quite happy to wait until you trick up this thing you've been talking about. Speaking of which, how exactly is this thing supposed to work?"

Carl huffed in aggravation and said "I'm not sure it's going to matter if you go and get yourself killed before I complete it." He stared pointedly at Van Helsing who lounged against the door completely unaffected by Carl's glare. Finally giving up, he sighed and gathered up his drawings. "From what I was able to discover from the briefs, gargoyles are in many ways like their stone counterparts who decorate buildings. Their structures are such that loud noises and I believe high pitched ones will cause them a great deal of pain. It creates some kind of vibration that could prove to be debilitating if pitched at the right volume and frequency. What I've designed is a small, portable device powerful enough to create enough sonic noise to cripple the gargoyles. It should keep them down long enough for you to take them out one by one."

"Should be enough to take them out?" Van Helsing raised one eyebrow in question.

"Hey, its not like I've got a test subject to work with. But the data suggests that this should work. After all, the car horn was enough to stop them long enough to for you to run so this is just extending out from that. The trick is not building this but finding the right frequency to completely cripple them. I've got to create enough vibration to cause debilitating pain, not just annoying."

"And exactly how are you going to perform this trick?" He wasn't looking completely doubtful but he was concerned.

Carl pulled a diagram from out of the pile. "Since I'm not sure exactly what frequency is going to be the most painful, I've created it to cover a wide spectrum. Once we arrive at the nest, I'll need to try different ranges to see what will completely take them down. I have a pretty good idea of where to start but I'll need to fine tune until I get the perfect pitch."

Van Helsing looked less then thrilled. "That doesn't sound very exact. I thought you'd be creating something that would work first shot."

Carl glared at him. "I told you, without a test subject, I can't be exact. But even with being slightly off, it will still hurt them enough to slow them down. The plan was that you wouldn't actually try to engage them until I had them down."

Van Helsing straightened from the doorway. "When you get them down? Just how close do you need to be for this to happen?" He was starting to get a bad feeling about all of this.

"Again, I can't be sure. But best estimation would be 00 yards." He said it casually hoping that the Hunter wouldn't think much of it.

It didn't work. "100 yards? That's way too close. If it takes you a few tries to get the frequency right, they'll be all over you."

Carl blew out his breath in a huff and said, "They'll be slowed down enough that I'll be fine. This is how it needs to work."

Van Helsing shook his head and moved closer to the table. "No way. I'm not letting you get that close. You'll have to show me how to work the thing." He leaned onto the table and grabbed the diagrams. He tried to make some kind of sense of them but he couldn't even tell if they were right side up.

Carl snatched the diagram back and said, "It's too complicated. You won't know how to judge how it's working. I have to be there to work it. Look, 100 yards is pretty far away and they will find it harder and harder to move. I'll be fine."

"No. You've got no experience in dealing with them. You'll end up getting hurt and that's a liability I don't need. You are staying here." He crossed his arms over his chest with a glare that said he wasn't going to discuss it any more.

Carl looked mutinous and snapped, "Excuse me, but I do have experience with these things. Have you forgotten how we met?" Van Helsing opened his mouth to argue but Carl continued on. "And let me remind you whose action it was that got BOTH of us out of there." He glared at Van Helsing. "We're suppose to be partners and partners work together. I'm not staying home." His face was set in equally stubborn lines and he refused to look away from Van Helsing's own glare.

"Carl," growled Van Helsing. "I don't want you to go. Make the device and show me how to work it and I'll take care of the gargoyles."

Carl shook his head. "No. If I do that, then you'll only end up getting killed. That's not how this partnership is supposed to work. I'm supposed to be your backup. And I can't watch your back if I'm sitting at home. " He moved towards Van Helsing and said, "I know you think I'm just a geek but I assure you, I can handle myself. If things start to get hairy, I promise I'll get out of there. I've got no real desire to end up as a gargoyle's dinner."

Van Helsing continued to glare but finally looked away when he realized that Carl was not going to back down on this. He stared angrily down at the floor and then looked up and said tersely, "The minute I say to get out of there, you get. No arguments, no backtalk. You get the hell out of there and you don't stop until you're back here. Promise me or we call this whole thing off now."

Carl nodded and said "Agreed. You say 'go' and I'm out of there. No arguments." Carl knew of course that he would never hold to that but Van Helsing didn't need to know that. What was more important was that he agreed to let Carl be there. They could argue out the details afterwards.

Van Helsing looked at Carl searchingly. Carl had agreed to this far too easily and it made him suspicious. But with Carl looking back at him as if deception wasn't even a word in his vocabulary, there wasn't much he could do. He sighed in resignation and said "Fine. When we actually enter the Nest, you can come along. But you stay as far away as possible to operate that thing and you stay out of sight and out of the fight, understood?"

Carl nodded in agreement and carefully kept his feelings of triumph off his face. Gloating would not help his cause. He began to short through his papers and notes to cover up any chance of giving himself away.

Van Helsing watched him for a moment longer but realized that whatever he might suspect, that Carl had outmaneuvered him. He would be coming along with him to destroy the gargoyles. Letting out a sigh of annoyance, he shook his head and said "Fine, now that we've settled that, I'm heading out on patrol. I should be back pretty late." He turned and started to head out.

Carl watched the Hunter and felt a small twinge of apprehension. He called after him "Be careful out there. You aren't 100 yet and while I've made the tojos tougher, getting up close and personal wouldn't be a good idea."

Van Helsing gave him a sour look and said, "I'm well aware of that Carl. I'm not going to engage them unless I absolutely have to. Tonight is about finding out where they are holed up. Once I've got that, I'll head home. I've got no desire to get the crap beat out of me."

Carl flushed a bit at the reprimand and mumbled "Sorry, still getting use to this whole 'working with someone' thing. Didn't mean to come off all mother hen."

Van Helsing realized that Carl hadn't been nagging but expressing an actual concern for him. The thought gave him a warm feeling and he decided to soften his response. "That's ok, I'm still getting use to it too. Didn't mean to snap. Not use to having someone worrying about me." He gave a slight smile and said "Bit of an adjustment but I think I'll get use to it." He turned and headed out, calling over his shoulder, "I'll be getting back pretty late so don't wait up."

Carl just stared at the doorway that Van Helsing went through and finally allowed his face to show the concern he was feeling. He shook his head and said, "Like I would waste my time trying to sleep while you are out there." He sighed and went back to work. It was going to be a long night.

Page 6


	14. Chapter 14

**_This took longer then I thought to complete. And I'm finding that after griping endlessly that they weren't going out there and dealing with the gargoyles, now that they almost ready, I'm suddenly thinking mayb they should wait a while... thanks to everyone has been faithfully reviewing. Warm thanks, a hug and a big cookie goes to Kydasam who has unfailing given me reality checks which have been a big help in keeping me on track. I want to be you when I grow up :)_**

Van Helsing was observing a falling down abandoned building from his vantage point on a nearby rooftop. The property damage reports had been a good lead and he had been able to pick up the trail of the gargoyles, following it all the way back to their nest. Now he was checking out the building to find their probably entry points and to see if they were out on the hunt or not. Most of the time a gargoyle will only attack a human if they have large numbers. Having thinned the group down, it was likely they were sticking to stray animals and the local pigeon population – requiring far more hunting on their part. Because of this, they would need to all leave at once, giving Van Helsing the perfect opportunity to check out the lay of the land before he and Carl came back to do the actual work. He hated surprises at the best of times and with Carl along for the ride, he wasn't taking any more chances then he had to.

Feeling pretty certain the building was deserted, he climbed down the fire escape and made his way in. The stench was pretty powerful as was always the case with a spot that had a gargoyle's nest. He was use to it and merely breathed through his mouth to lessen the impact. The building had once been a small business but years of vandalism and neglect had left holes in the wall and floors. He scouted the bottom floor but as expected, did not find more then trash and other debris. Making his way very cautiously up the rotting stairs, he began his exploration of the top floor. The second floor had probably been offices but most of the doors were long gone and some of the walls as well. The stench was particularly bad up here, which confirmed that the gargoyles were nesting on the top floor. He made mental notes of the damaged spots in the floor and places where some cover might be found if things got ugly. He also tried to find a suitable location to stash Carl who was going to need to be out of sight and as far away as possible. He had hoped to find an undamaged room down the hall near the stairs but those rooms had apparently taken the worst abuse and most of the walls were gone. He was going to have to hope that the pile of broken furniture was going to be enough to keep Carl safe.

Having completed his reconnaissance of the building, he made his way quickly back out. No telling how long the gargoyles would be out hunting and he really wasn't prepared to take them on right now. Much better to wait until he had Carl's little wonder device. Having made it out without incident, he made his way back towards the better part of town where he left Carl's car. He was tired and looking forward to a hot shower and a long sleep.

Heading back, he found his mind drifting away from tactics and planning and on to the man who was back home waiting for him. _Waiting for me. Is he waiting for me?_ The thought was both warming and frightening. He unconsciously picked up the pace, as though trying to outrun the thoughts that chased around his head.

The fight had changed everything and now he found it hard to know what his place was in all of this. Before it was easy – he was the street rat that Carl was helping out of some fit of boredom or altruism. It meant that he was to keep his distance and keep himself to himself. But Carl had changed that when he didn't walk away and now he found himself wishing for things that he had thought he had learned to live without.

The years had taught him that it's better to be alone then to become attached to someone. If you become attached, it only hurt when they left. Better to live with the loneliness – it was less painful. But Carl didn't walk when others had and now he was looking at a possible world where he wasn't always alone. Where he wasn't completely dependant on only himself. He remembered how it felt when Carl had taken him home that first night and bandaged him up. Carl had been through a rough time and yet he cared for him first. No one had ever put him first before – not without wanting something in return.

He slowed down as he thought about that night and how gentle Carl had been. And while he would never have admitted it to Carl, it had felt good to not be alone. At the time he had expected it to only be for the one night so he had allowed himself to relax and enjoy it. But then somehow the time kept getting extended and now he was stuck facing all the things he kept sweeping under the rug.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. He came; he did what he had to do and left. He didn't get involved and he didn't get attached. And yet here he was fretting over how Carl was going to react and trying to figure out what Carl wanted from him. This wasn't how these things operated!

He shook his head as his thoughts continued to taunt him. He wanted things to work out. He wanted to have Carl want to keep him around. He wanted a home and stability and all those things that he had always said was a crock. He growled angry and stomped his way down the street. What was happening to him? He knew better then this! What was it about Carl that had made him suddenly go domestic?

An image of Carl as he had been after the fight in his room popped into his head. They had been sitting side by side on the bed, their shoulders practically touching and he could remember just how good it had felt to have Carl pressed up against the door. At that moment, he had wanted pull Carl to him and kiss that mouth that had been tempting him since he arrived. Normally he would have just done it and to hell with the consequences but instead he had just sat there until the moment passed and Carl decided that it was time to get back to work.

And that's what really was bothering him. He wanted Carl. The fact that he had almost taken apart a furniture salesman who had dared try to put the moves on Carl told him that. And it wasn't too surprising. Carl was funny, attractive and easy to be with. If he weren't such an incurable geek, he would have been snatched up ages ago. Even with it, he was rather surprised that someone hadn't claimed him. That kind of loyalty was a rare thing indeed – certainly worth putting up with the absent-mindedness and the occasional need to pry him out of his lab. Remembering how he had done just that, he chuckled to himself. Really, it wasn't that hard to take care of that particular problem.

The amusement was short-lived though. Geek though Carl might be, the fact remained he was still far above him. Carl was a blue-blood, as classy a thoroughbred as he was likely to encounter. He probably knew the names of his ancestors all the way back to the old country. He had gone to the right schools and got the right education.

Van Helsing had finished high school only because it kept him out of Juvenile Hall. He had never been to college and didn't know the first thing about civilized behavior. The only thing about him that made him anything more then street trash was that he had been born a Hunter. He was no match for Carl. Hell, if his family knew that Carl was even associating with him they would have well-bred fits. If Carl were to take up with him…

He let out a frustrated sigh. He knew he had no business being with Carl. Yet Carl insisted on keeping him around. _Yes, but he doesn't want you for that._ And really was that too much of a surprise? Over the course of several days he had threatened Carl, strangled him, scared the life out of him and humiliated him by dragging him out of a store. Not exactly the way to make a good impression. And let's not forget the way you preyed on him earlier. Carl had been freaked out by his attentions. Hardly the reaction of someone who was pining away for someone tall, dark and handsome. Well, tall, dark and dangerous anyway. Wasn't that supposed to be attractive?

He snorted in disgust and dug out his car keys. Looking at the car it was just one more sign of how different he and Carl were. While it wasn't some fancy sport car it was a luxurious and expensive vehicle. And Carl didn't even think twice about giving it to him. Carl trusted because in the end, he could. Replacing the car wouldn't be all that much of a hardship for him. Van Helsing had never been in that position. He had always had to fight hard not just to get what he wanted but to keep it as well. He just couldn't trust the way Carl did.

Except that he wanted to. He wanted to trust Carl was in this for the long haul. He wanted to trust that this partnership could be made to work and he would finally have the support and connection that had been promised to him when the Order first recruited him. But more then anything he wanted to be with Carl. He wanted everything that entailed but most importantly he wanted the sex.

He wanted it rather badly in fact. Being around Carl so much was a huge tease though the man wasn't trying to be. In fact Carl was so completely unaware of how attracted Van Helsing was that even after the incident in the doorway, he still saw them as some sort of movie-style buddy team. It would almost be easier if Carl knew and had indicated he wasn't interested but his completely cluelessness kept a foolish hope alive that maybe something could happen there.

Maybe he should just make a move and see what happened? Only if it didn't work out, then he was up a creek without a paddle since he was counting on Carl's little invention to help him take out the gargoyles. Should Carl get upset about it, he'd be out on his ear at the worst possible time. Damn, somewhere up there someone was laughing at him, he just knew it. Deciding that God, or whoever it was damn well owed him for this. He was fighting for Good, damn it! Shouldn't he get some perks for doing it? He sighed heavily. In all likelihood, probably not. After all, don't they always say that doing good is its own reward?

Deciding that this train of thought was only depressing and frustrating him, he put it aside and returned to planning out tomorrow's attack on the nest. He had worked out most of the details when he pulled into the driveway. He still felt a bit strange walking into such a big house but he was tired enough not to let it get to him. He unlocked the door and turned off the alarm. Setting down his equipment on a nearby table, he reset the alarm for the night. He was about to head for bed when he realized he could hear music coming from Carl's lab. Thinking Carl may have fallen asleep in there, he headed down there, intending on waking him up so he could get a real night's sleep. After all, he couldn't afford to have Carl less then 100 if he was going to be with him on the mission.

He walked into the lab and was surprised to find that Carl not only wasn't asleep but was putting the final touches on his device. He looked up when Van Helsing entered and an extremely relieved expression crossed his face when he saw him. Van Helsing felt surprisingly pleased at the sign of concern.

Carl put down the tool he had been holding and said "Well, you made it back in one piece. Any luck getting a lead on where the gargoyle's nest might be?"

Van Helsing grinned and said "I did better then that. I found it and scouted it out. We can go in as soon as you tell me your little doohickey is done." He leaned against the counter like a cat waiting for its master's praise.

Carl started to respond then stopped and with a frown said, "What do you mean you scouted it out? You weren't suppose to go in until the device was ready. I thought we had a plan." He knew he was sounding cranky but he couldn't help it. He had been worrying for hours and now he had been told that he had every reason to have been concerned. It was enough to make him forget his resolve to act calm and collected when he saw the Hunter next.

Van Helsing frowned in return; a bit annoyed that Carl was harping at him. "I only went in to get a feel for the terrain. I knew the gargoyles were out hunting so there wasn't any danger. I needed to know what we would encounter in there. Let's not forget, I'm taking a civilian in with me. I had to know I could find a safe place to stash you." He looked at Carl, his annoyance showing on his face.

Carl heard an implied criticism and snapped back. "I may be a civilian as you put it but I'm not a complete liability. It wasn't worth you risking it. What if they had come back before you got out? You are not in any shape to fight them. That was the whole point of my making the device in the first place." He huffed in frustration and picked up the tool he had set down. He was going to focus on the device rather then on the man he was feeling the distinct urge to smack.

Van Helsing pushed himself up from the counter and barked "I knew I had enough time. I have been doing this for ten years, Carl. I'm not completely incompetent you know. " He turned to leave the lab before he gave into the urge to shake Carl.

Carl saw the carefully controlled tension in the Hunter's body and knew he had ticked the man off. And since it had been his unsolicited worry that caused him to snap at the man, it was his job to apologize. He sighed and said "I'm sorry. I'm just tired and concerned about things. I don't like the fact that we're going in with an untested weapon – even though I know it will work if I can just have a little time. And I didn't like the fact you were out there tonight injured and without back up. I know that's the way the Order does things but it's not the way I do things. I was worried and when you said you went into the nest, it was the final straw. I'm sorry and I'll try not to do it again." He rubbed his hand wearily across his eyes and sighed again. Now that he knew Van Helsing was home safe, his exhaustion finally caught up to him. He wanted nothing more then to crawl into bed and sleep for hours. It had definitely been a long day!

Van Helsing felt his annoyance melt in the wake of Carl's apology. And the knowledge that Carl had been waiting up for him (even though he had told him not to) felt really good. He tried to remind himself that to Carl he was merely friend and partner but a part of him continued to see this as a good sign. He sighed inwardly – he was really becoming hopeless. Shown a little bit of concern and he was ready to throw away years worth of protecting himself just for Carl's attention. He had better pull it together if he didn't want to embarrass himself.

He faked a yawn and stretch and mumbled, "Well, I'm done in. I'm going to head to bed. Tomorrow night is the night if this device of yours is ready."

Carl shrugged and said "Well, it's as ready as it can get without testing. So, tomorrow is as good a night as any to put it to use. " He got up from his stool and said, "I think I'll join you in heading off to bed. It's been a very long day and my mind is fried." He yawned as he said the last bit and moved around the counter.

Van Helsing mentally rolled his eyes as he heard Carl say _I think I'll join you in heading off to bed. _The words he wanted to hear but not the meaning. Life was decidedly unfair sometimes. Though to be honest, he was pretty tired and not really in the finest of shape for such activities. Still, it was frustrating.

He let Carl proceed him out of the room and added to his frustrations but checking out Carl's backside as he wandered towards the bedrooms. The man really was walking temptation and he was really amazed that Carl could remain so unaware of it. If he wasn't so tired and there being so much on the line right now, he'd be tempted to toss him over his shoulder and take him someplace where he could show him just how much of a tease he was being. As it was, he just added it to the list of things he wanked over and did nothing.

As their reached their bedroom doors, Carl stopped and smiled sleepily at Van Helsing. "Pleasant dreams." he wished him then opened his door and disappeared inside. Van Helsing looked at the door for a moment and then muttered, "They'll be pleasant alright. Incredibly frustrating but highly pleasant." With that he turned and went into his own room. Perhaps when all of this was over, he'd do something about all of this…

Page 7


	15. Chapter 15

**_Carl apparently had a few things to get off his chest before dealing with the gargoyles..._**

Carl yawned as he undressed for bed. It had been quite a long day and he was looking forward to shutting his brain down for a time. But once under the covers, he found he couldn't quite still his mind. The hours of waiting for Van Helsing to make it back had left its mark and he just couldn't just shrug it off and go to sleep.

He turned onto his back and stared up into the darkness. When he had decided to begin this partnership, it had been because he was outraged that someone would be asked to hunt monsters with so little support. But he hadn't given much thought to what it meant to be the partner of a Hunter. That he would be waiting at home while an injured Van Helsing would be out on the streets potentially running into something big and ugly. Several hours of this had led him to the conclusion that it would never happen again. If Van Helsing was injured, he was either going to stay home or Carl was going with him. Sitting around waiting for the worst to happen had almost driven him around the bend.

He sighed and shifted uncomfortably. When Van Helsing had walked into his lab, it had been all he could do not to throw himself at him. Hours of picturing all the horrible things that could have happened to the man had left him feeling rather shaken and vulnerable. He hadn't realized just how attached he had become.

_And that's really the problem here, isn't it? You've become attached and you don't even know if Van Helsing is willing to continue this once the gargoyles have been dealt with._ Carl had pinned everything on Van Helsing being impressed with his invention but so far, he had seemed rather upset that Carl was necessary to it's use.

Turning restlessly over onto his side, he punched the pillow trying to get more comfortable. Why was Van Helsing so resistant to his help? He knew he wasn't in the same physical league as the Hunter but he was smart and reasonably fast and held it together the last time he had encountered the gargoyles. Why couldn't he see that he could handle this? Besides, there was no way he was going to let the injured man go in there alone. Tonight had been bad enough and he hadn't actually had to deal with them. Should it take longer then expected to find the incapacitating frequency, Van Helsing would be forced to deal with the monsters and he wasn't in top form yet. He needed Carl there in case things got rocky.

Besides, if he had to stay home alone and wait, he'd go right out of his tree. His imagination was far too vivid and could come up with far too many ways for things to go wrong. Nope, he was going to be right there when all of this went down. Van Helsing was going to come out of this more or less unscathed no matter what it took.

Carl sighed and turned onto his other side. This was all getting him nowhere and he desperately needed sleep. If he looked groggy, Van Helsing would find some way to leave him behind. _Try to think of something else…_

He tried to distract himself with ideas for weapons and planning a testing range but he found his mind drifting back to Van Helsing and the crazy day that they had. It really did amaze him just how much chaos they could cram into one day. And it had started out so normal too. He had just intended to pick out some furniture and then come home and do some work. Then Van Helsing decided to come along and he got hit on in the store and everything seemed to derail after that.

He tried to piece together the day, sorting through all the weird and seemingly contradictory pieces. The scene in the store had been excruciatingly embarrassing and surprising. He hadn't expected the Hunter to jump to his defense like that. He knew that he must have come across looking completely clueless and that Van Helsing was making judgments based on too small a sample pool but it was nice in some ways. His exes tended to look out for his lapses into cluelessness only to make sure he didn't embarrass them in some way. Clearly Van Helsing didn't have any stake in Carl making a fool of himself so it made it a nice, if misguided gesture. The man might not be use to having people in his life but he had a rather protective streak regardless. Something to keep in mind.

Inevitably, his mind continued on to the rest of the day's events. To his wandering off and his attempt to apologize for it. How Van Helsing had shrugged it off and told him he didn't care. In all the high drama of the fight that came after, he had rather forgotten that. His restless movements stopped as a smile crossed his face for the first time tonight. How many hours had he sat while someone lectured him – usually at the top of their lungs – about how aggravating that particular personality quirk was? He had given up hoping that there was someone out there who could actually live with it and now he had a partnership with someone who not only didn't mind it but thought it was a valuable asset. The thought gave him a happy feeling and his smile turned particularly sweet.

Unfortunately though, he couldn't just stay on that thought and his mind moved onto the fight that had happened next. It had come on so fast and unexpectedly that he hadn't been able to do more then just react – badly unfortunately.

He sighed as he thought of how quickly things had escalated. Tempers flaring on both sides. But there had been something else there too, buried in with the anger. When Van Helsing had trapped him up against the door, there had been something there in the aggressive behavior that was more then just rage. There had been that moment when Van Helsing had whispered in his ear. Something that had been equal parts frightening and arousing.

Carl shifted in bed and then finally gave into the restlessness and got up. He paced the room as he replayed that moment again and again. He tried to look at it objectively, with the perspective of knowing why Van Helsing had been so angry. But somehow he couldn't get past the fact that for a moment, an edge of sexuality had crept in.

But what did that mean?

Carl sighed in frustration and paced faster. The fact of the matter was that it wasn't really possible for him to be completely objective when it came to matters of Van Helsing. His own emotional state was a tangled mess and he wasn't exactly sure what it was that he was trying to achieve anymore. When he had made the offer of partnership, it had seemed fairly straightforward. Yes, there was attraction on his side but he had thought he could keep that fairly well under control. He hadn't counted on his emotions getting into the picture so quickly.

What was it about this man that seemed to get him so caught up? He was touchy and distrustful and unused to being around anyone for any real length of time. Dealing with him sometimes was like walking through a field of landmines. And yet tonight, when he thought that the man might be in danger, none of that had mattered. All that mattered was that Van Helsing got home safe. Gotten home safely to him.

Carl sighed and sat down on the bed. There was no two ways about it. He had become seriously attached to Van Helsing. He had not planned for it and he certainly didn't want it but he couldn't deny he had feelings for the Hunter. And tomorrow night (or rather tonight since it was past midnight) they would be going into a dangerous situation where Carl would only be of limited help. He just had to hope that everything went according to plan with his weapon. It wasn't terribly comforting.

But what would he do if it did all go according to plan? If they destroyed the gargoyles and came out of it in one piece? What then? Did he want the partnership to continue? Did he want to continue watching the Hunter face danger knowing that there was only so much that could be done to make him safer? Could he continue to work with the man knowing that he had feelings for him? Feelings that were never going to be reciprocated?

But what if he walked away? Van Helsing would still be in danger only now he would be back to using whatever antiquated methods the Order had. And if he did get hurt or in over his head, he'd have no one there to help him. Carl would still be worrying over him only instead he'd be left with his very vivid imagination telling him about all the horrible things that Van Helsing would be facing – all alone.

He flopped back on his bed with a resigned sigh. The fact of the matter was that it was too late to walk away now. He cared too much to let Van Helsing do this alone. As hard as it was bound to be some times, he would be there for him. He would just have to find a way to deal with his emotions so that Van Helsing would never find out. As far as the Hunter would know, they were friends and partners, just like they agreed to tonight. That's what the man wanted and that's what he would get. Carl would just have to find a way to make that enough for himself.

Carl crawled back up the bed and under the covers. This time sleep finally came and claimed him.


	16. Chapter 16

**_Warning - severe bed head alert. Please proceed with caution... :)_**

It wasn't until the afternoon that either man woke up. Van Helsing went about his usual routine as he had long grown use to the knowledge that he would be facing down monsters by nightfall. After showering and dressing, he wandered down to the kitchen to scrounge up breakfast. Before coming to Carl's house, he would have gone out for breakfast but he thought that he probably should hang around since he and Carl needed to talk about tonight. He wanted to make absolutely sure that Carl would run if things got hairy. While the blonde had agreed to it, Van Helsing wasn't convinced that the man actually meant to stick to it. So he was going to make it damn clear that there were not to be any heroics from Carl no matter what went down. At the first sign of danger, Carl's cute little ass was out the door.

He stared at the frying pan he was attempting to cook eggs in as he thought about Carl. As expected, his dreams had been all about the blonde and had left him aching and frustrated. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this attracted to anyone. Normally, he'd have made a move by now and gotten it out of his system but that just wasn't an option. Even putting aside the potential of risking Carl's help tonight, he wasn't quite certain that it would actually help.

He frowned heavily at the pan and poked at his eggs moodily. None of this was going as it should. He felt an urge, he did something about it. It was over and done with and everything went back to normal until the next time things built up to the point he needed release. It was neat and simple and it worked for him. He didn't agonize and he certainly didn't pine. The frown deepened and he poked the inoffensive eggs rather hard.

How is it Carl managed to get him doing both?

In frustration, he continued to poke the eggs, not really noticing what he was doing. He didn't like being this keyed up. Moreover, he hated the fact that the one thing that would take care of all his problems was squarely out of reach. He couldn't afford to scare Carl off, not when he needed him to work the device he had made. The whole situation was custom made to drive him out of his mind and he didn't appreciate the humor the Universe was no doubt having at his expense.

Carl wandered into the kitchen still working towards wakefulness and saw Van Helsing standing over the stove with a pan full of burning eggs that he was stabbing rather angrily with a spatula. He leaned against table as he watched the frowning man attack his now inedible eggs. He cleared his throat and said "Ah Van Helsing? I think the eggs have been beaten into submission. In fact, I think they are pretty much a loss at this point."

Van Helsing snapped back from his rather frustrated thoughts and hastily pulled the pan off the burner. Carl was right, the eggs were burnt and uneatable. He sighed in irritation and dumped the pan in the sink.

Carl could see that the dark haired man was tense and tried to make his offer in the least offensive way he could think of. "I was going to make breakfast for myself – just as easy to make it for two." He kept his tone light and casual as he wasn't quite awake enough to deal with an argument.

Van Helsing glared at Carl a moment and then looked away realizing that Carl was merely making an offer, not making fun of him. He shrugged and said "Fine. I would appear I'm a bit too distracted to be wielding cooking utensils." He moved over to the table and pulled out a chair and slumped down into it. He picked up his cup of coffee and took a drink.

Carl watched the man for a moment and then shrugged and began to gather together the fixings for eggs. Spying the coffee, he grabbed a mug and fixed himself a cup. Caffeine was definitely what he needed to wake up completely.

As Carl puttered about putting together breakfast, Van Helsing drank his coffee and watched Carl surreptitiously. Carl was rumpled and clearly not awake as he mumbled to himself. His hair stuck up in messy spikes clearly showed that Carl had not looked in the mirror yet. His just out of bed look was both maddeningly arousing and endearingly adorable and Van Helsing was hanging onto his coffee cup to prevent his hands from wandering into dangerous territory – like Carl's arse. Drinking his coffee, he once again silently cursed whoever was responsible for putting him in such close proximity to temptation. He was the first to admit he had very little restraint and being put in a position of having to behave himself was straining his admittedly limited self-control.

Carl meanwhile was completely oblivious to the battle going on behind him. The caffeine had not yet kicked in and his limited brain capacity was occupied with figuring out which pan to use and trying to find the jelly, which had somehow managed to hide itself. He had his head stuck in the fridge and was rummaging about. Finding it hiding behind a jar of mayonnaise, he straightened, a look of victory on his face. He plopped it down on the kitchen table in front of Van Helsing and turned back to the eggs.

Van Helsing found himself smiling at Carl's triumphant look. You would have thought he had found the Holy Grail in the fridge instead of the grape jelly. He felt a bit of his sour mood slipping away as there was just something so endearing about Carl's "I'm not a morning person" behavior. His normally sharp mind was still fuzzy and he had to concentrate on the little things like making sure he drank from his coffee cup and not the sugar container. And seeing him watching the eggs cook with a concentration usually used by men who disarmed bombs made him want to take the spatula out of Carl's hand and pull him into his lap for a snuggle.

Which was an alarming reaction indeed since he was NOT a snuggle kind of guy. Just another aberrant behavior brought about by Carl's proximity. Pretty soon, he'd be doing things like buying flowers and cuddling on the couch. Thinking about the extremely uncomfortable couch that still graced the living room, he smiled. _Well, at least I don't have to worry about that behavior starting – at least until the new furniture gets delivered. Not even the poofiest of people could snuggle on that couch! _

Toast popped and Carl stared at the toaster for a moment before thinking he should get a plate for it. Pulling one out of the cabinet, he dropped the bread onto it and wandered over to the table and put it down. He looked at Van Helsing for a moment and then mumbled, "Why are you smiling?"

Van Helsing looked up at Carl and his slightly muddled look of incomprehension almost snapped the last of Van Helsing's resolve. He wanted nothing more then to pull Carl down into his lap and kiss him until he was completely befuddled. How could someone with a serious case of bed head be so damn tempting? He shook his head and then realized Carl was still waiting for some kind of response. He put down his coffee mug and said, "You really are not a morning person, are you?" His smile became a grin at the glare he got from Carl.

"No, I'm not a morning person. I'm not really functional until my first cup of coffee kicks in." He turned his back and began poking at the eggs that were once again being punished for things they had nothing to do with. He gave them one last jab and then turned back to Van Helsing and grumbled, "Let me guess. You are one of those disgusting people who wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed." His tone dripped a kind of disgust most people would use when describing the lowest kinds of scumbags.

Van Helsing laughed and said, "No, I don't wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed. I've just been up longer then you have and had a shower to perk me up."

Carl looked down at his wrinkled t-shirt and sweats and then back at Van Helsing. "Is that your subtle way of saying I need one?" The grumpy look he gave Van Helsing was not having the desired effect on the Hunter who was grinning even wider.

"No, merely saying it's why I'm more functional then you." He picked up his mug to cover up the near chuckle that almost escaped at Carl's pouting harrumph. He made a mental note to be sure that they never tried to do anything important first thing in the morning.

Carl turned back to the eggs, which were thankfully done, and began putting them onto plates. He then carried both plates to the table and sat down after handing one to Van Helsing. He reached for his fork and realized he didn't get any. He muttered a curse and began to get up but Van Helsing waved him to sit.

"I'll get it. You just sit down and drink your coffee. I need to have your brain in working order so we can talk about the game plan for tonight." He pulled open a drawer and fished out the needed forks and knives and walked back to the table. After handing Carl his, he sat back down and began to silently eat.

Breakfast was just about finished when Carl finally decided to break the silence. "So, you wanted to talk about tonight?" He got up and refilled his coffee cup and sat back down and waiting for Van Helsing to respond.

Van Helsing put down his fork and gave Carl a quick assessing look. He seemed to be focused again – the caffeine must have finally hit his blood stream. Nodding he said, "We've got a few things I want to discuss before we get there. I don't want to have any ugly surprises happening."

Carl nodded and said, "Neither do I. The whole point of this is to make this quick and efficient. We go in, I incapacitate the gargoyles and you wipe them out. No muss, no fuss."

Van Helsing smiled a bit grimly. "Its never no muss, no fuss but I'm hoping we can keep it within an acceptable level. Now the first thing I want to make clear is that I am in charge. I'm the Hunter and what I say goes, understood?"

Carl looked at Van Helsing with raised eyebrows. "Of course you are in charge. You're the one with the sharp objects. I'm just operating the equipment." He gave Van Helsing a guileless look.

Van Helsing returned it with a skeptical one of his own. "By in charge, I mean that if I give an order, you follow it. You don't argue and you don't question it. If I tell you to get out of there, you do it. And I don't mean five minutes later, I mean right then. Am I making myself perfectly clear?" He pinned Carl with a steely look.

Carl picked up his mug and took a drink to give himself a moment. He pulled his face into a suitably obedient look and then looked at the Hunter and said "Of course. You're the boss. Jump/how high – that kind of thing." His eyes were the eyes of complete innocence.

Van Helsing listened to Carl's response and was not convinced. He growled, "Carl, I'm serious. If I tell you to get out of there, you do it. I can't be dealing with worrying about you if things get hairy. When I say to, you haul arse out of there and don't look back. I want you in the car and heading back here - I don't care what's happening. Either you agree to that, or you stay home. I'm not arguing about this with you."

Carl looked at Van Helsing and said, "No one's arguing. You are the boss. You give the orders. That's the deal. It's been the deal right from the start."

Van Helsing looked searchingly at Carl and said, "Why am I just not convinced?" He continued to look at Carl who maintained the air of one who is being thoroughly reasonable.

Carl casually picked up his coffee mug and said, "I don't know. Maybe you are just a bit paranoid. Its ok, you are not used to having a partner. It will take some time for this to feel comfortable." He drank his coffee and prayed that the poker face developed from years of high society gatherings was holding.

Van Helsing watched Carl for a few moments longer but when Carl didn't crack, he heaved a sigh and said "Fine. Then lets just get on with talking about the details. Have you got any paper around here?"

Carl shook his head and said "No. Why don't we take this into the lab? I've got a white board in there that would probably be better for this part of things." He got up and after topping off his coffee cup, headed out the door.

Van Helsing followed after Carl, still carrying the bad feeling that if push came to shove, Carl was not going to head for safety as ordered. He sighed and realized he was just going to have to make sure that push DIDN'T come to shove since it was the only way to keep Carl safe. He shook his head in disgust. Fine leader he was turning out to be when the only way he could insure his orders got followed was to not issue any.

Once in the lab, Carl erased the board and handed Van Helsing a marker. He then settled himself in a chair and waited for the Hunter to start.

Van Helsing began drawing a diagram of the abandoned building on the board. He sketched in places where the walls or floor were damaged and where there were areas of cover. Once completed, he turned back to Carl and said, "Ok, here is the layout of the house. To be honest, the plan is pretty simple. Right after sunset, we'll enter the building. We'll head up the stairs and you will proceed to this room here." He made a mark on a room about ½ way in on the second floor. "There is a pile of broken furniture that should keep you hidden from the gargoyles. They've got good sense of smell so it's not going to hide you completely but I'll be keeping them pretty occupied so they will leave you alone to deal with the bigger threat. But under no circumstances underestimate just how much they'll fight. We're in their nest and if we are really unlucky, they'll have been here long enough for there to be eggs being hatched. That will only make them fight harder. It's imperative that you stay out of sight and don't do anything to draw attention to yourself. Now how long do you think it will take before the effects of the machine kick in?

Carl looked thoughtful and said, "Some effect will be felt upon my turning it on. How much effect I can't say. It will depend on how close I came to figuring out the crippling frequency. Conservatively, I'd say that I can have them incapacitated in eight to ten minutes. But within that span of time, the gargoyles will find it progressively more difficult to move which should keep the danger to you at a minimum. Still, I would try to wait until they are completely incapacitated before you attempt to dispatch them."

Van Helsing quirked an eyebrow. "Dispatch them? You sound like something out of a swashbuckling movie. You aren't going to wear a funny hat and try to swing from anything are you?"

Carl gave him a withering look and said "No, I'll leave the daring acrobatics to you. I'm quite fine with staying behind my pile of furniture, thank you very much."

Van Helsing grinned and said, "Glad to hear it." He turned back to the board and said; "Now the biggest thing that worries me is the lack of exits. There is only the one stairwell inside and while there is a fire escape, you'd have to climb over some junk to get to it. Not the best option so it's really important that you keep an eye on the hall so that you don't get cut off from your only escape path." Once again, he gave Carl an assessing look, waiting to detect some signs of rebellion from Carl.

Van Helsing was doomed to disappointment because Carl had been trained in the trenches of high society and it would take more then a glaring look from the Hunter to get Carl to crack. He nodded as if in agreement and said "Watch the hall, don't get cut off. That's smart thinking." He looked at Van Helsing as if waiting for more instructions.

Van Helsing ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He knew Carl had no intention of doing what he asked but he couldn't find a way to get Carl to admit it and that was driving him crazy. He heaved a heavy sigh and said "Yes it is. And you being a smart guy – a genius in fact – you should appreciate doing the smart thing." He knew he was wasting his breath but he had to say it anyway. He turned back to the board and studied the layout. The plan was pretty simple. He would keep the gargoyle's attention focused on him while Carl did his thing. The hardest part was going to be getting Carl into his hiding space before the gargoyles saw him.

Turning back to Carl he said, "I'm going to lead going up the stairs and I'm going to need you to wait before coming up. I need to have the gargoyles focused on me so that you can get into position without being seen. Then you can start up your machine"

Carl's calm expression slipped for the first time. "Are you crazy? If you go in there before I've had the chance to start the process, they'll tear you apart. I've read the reports about how fierce they are when people come into their nests. I've got to have the machine started BEFORE they see you if you want to get out of this intact." He had jumped up from his chair and was standing right in front of the Hunter, stubbornness in every line.

Van Helsing felt his frustration surge and said "Well, so much for obeying my orders." He glared at Carl who wasn't backing down one inch.

Carl continued to look Van Helsing square in the eyes and said, "I wasn't aware that was an order. I thought we were discussing the plan for tonight's mission and I'm pointing out a flaw in the plan that you might have overlooked." Carl was keeping his voice reasonable but his body language screamed stubborn determination.

Van Helsing closed his eyes and counted to twenty before opening them and saying "I'm not overlooking anything. I'm the Hunter and it's my job to take the risks. Even with me distracting them, you will have a hard time getting into position without being seen. It will be impossible if you go first. Therefore we stick with the original plan. I go up and engage them while you wait a few minutes and then slip into place."

Carl shook his head. "No, you'll get torn apart long before I can get the machine working." He stared at the board for a moment while his mind ran various scenarios.

Van Helsing could see the wheels turning in Carl's head and it worried him. He knew Carl was no coward and that he was determined to be a part of all of this, even if it meant endangering himself. And that was something Van Helsing couldn't allow. He decided to pre-empt any ideas Carl might be hatching.

"Carl, you are just going to have to trust me that I can make this work. My line of work is dangerous, you know this. I've been through this before and I'll get through this too."

Carl shook his head and said, "You are injured and that means your odds dropped. " When Van Helsing looked to make a comeback, Carl cut him off quickly. "This isn't about whether or not I think you are good at what you do. I know that you are and if you were one hundred percent, I wouldn't be nearly so concerned. But you are injured and unfortunately we don't have the luxury of waiting until you are back in shape. But I think I have a compromise. What if I follow you up? If I start the machine in the stairwell, then the process will begin from the moment we both clear the stairs. That way at least I'm leveling the playing field a little bit by slowing the gargoyles down. It won't be as effective as when I'm in range but it at least gives you a fighting chance – pun not intended."

Van Helsing frowned. "That still puts you near enough for them to smell you while you are still not under cover. No – its too risky."

Carl looked at him in exasperation and said "But I'm in the stairwell. The stairs you told me to make sure I kept an eye on so I could make a run for it. If they come after me, I can just book it out of there – as you ordered." Carl said the last bit with a snide tone.

Van Helsing glared at Carl; annoyed that Carl would mock him with the fact that he had no intentions of leaving at the first sign of danger. Still, Carl was right. From there he would have the best chance of getting out of there should things get hairy. And if the machine was working as predicted, the gargoyles would be slowed down enough that Carl could make it to cover. It wasn't a great plan but no plan that involved Carl being within 20 miles of the nest was a good plan. He sighed and very grudgingly gave in. "Alright, fine. You follow me up. But you don't leave the stairwell until you see signs of them slowing down. Is that clearly understood?"

Carl wasn't exactly sure he was going to follow that order either but decided that Van Helsing's phrasing left him some wiggle room. "Yep, understood. So, it looks like we got ourselves a plan." He looked at Van Helsing with a very serious expression on his face.

Van Helsing nodded, a slight pit in his stomach over all the things that might go wrong and said, "Yeah, we've got a plan. Now all we have to do is follow it." He gave Carl one last searching look, which was completely ignored.

Carl felt a certain amount of satisfaction at having convinced Van Helsing to follow his ideas. He was determined that the Hunter would be exposed to the least amount of danger he could possibly manage. If things went according to his plans, the Hunter would come out of this with nothing worse than having worked up a sweat. He looked over at the Hunter who was staring at the board with a less then happy expression on his face. Carl knew he wasn't thrilled about having his plan challenged but then again, Van Helsing wasn't use to having to discuss his plans with anyone. This was just another aspect of partnership the man was going to need to adapt to.

Carl cleared his throat to get the other man's attention and said, "Ok, so what do we do now?"

Van Helsing turned and gave Carl a slightly grim smile. "Now we wait." He nodded to Carl and started to head out of the lab.

Carl gave Van Helsing a slightly disgruntled look and called after him "Wait" Carl caught up to him in the doorway and said "So what do you usually do while you wait?" He was feeling a bit at loose ends not usually having time on his hands. Knowing that what he was waiting around for was something pretty dangerous only added to his restlessness.

Van Helsing grinned at seeing Carl's somewhat antsy expression. He decided that a little payback was in order and so he shrugged and said in a maddeningly bored voice "Oh, I read… maybe check the latest reports. Nothing major." He leaned casually in the doorway and watched Carl's fidgets increase.

Carl heaved a sigh and said, "Read and check out reports. Sounds like what you do every day."

Van Helsing just shrugged and said, "Well, this is just another day." And with that parting shot, he pushed himself off the door frame and jauntily sauntered down the hall.

Carl watched the man walk away and heaved another frustrated sigh. Then deciding that he would have to come up with his own way of killing time, he headed back into the lab. He never did finish designing the new weapons testing range and it was as good a use of time as any. He pulled out his papers and sat down to distract himself.

Page 10


	17. Chapter 17

**_Cliffhanger warning. Wasn't intened but the chapter got long and there it was..._**

Van Helsing was highly regretting his decision to get back at Carl. Because he had claimed he had stuff to do, he was forced to spend time in his room pretending he was busy. But after checking out the latest reports from HQ and surfing the web for a while he found himself at loose ends and very bored. He had finally resorted to sneaking down into the living room and grabbing a DVD, which he was forced to watch on his laptop so Carl wouldn't find out about it. In hindsight, the momentary satisfaction he got from tweaking Carl was vastly outweighed by the boredom he had suffered for hours afterwards. Had he kept his mouth shut, he probably could have spent those hours hanging out with Carl instead of feeling like a prisoner in his room. He sighed and put the laptop aside. At least it was late enough that he could head down to see Carl and not look like he was searching for something to do.

As expected, he found Carl in the lab. He was at a computer and appeared to be ordering supplies. The man looked up as Van Helsing's presence registered and he said "Is it that time already?"

Van Helsing shook his head. "We've got some time but I thought we could go grab something to eat before we head over to the warehouse." He was trying to appear casual – like he hadn't just spent the last couple of hours bored out of his mind.

Fortunately for him, Carl didn't think anything of his request and merely nodded and said, "Sounds like a good idea. Can't be fainting from hunger, that would definitely be a bad thing." He grinned and began shutting down his computer.

Van Helsing came up behind Carl's chair and began to look at the piles of paper that Carl had been working on. There were scribbled diagrams and notes but he wasn't quite sure of what. He pointed to one of the diagrams and said, "So what are you working on now?"

Carl looked at the page and said, "I've been working on the testing and training range we're going to need. The good news is the contractor who did the work when I needed a laser-testing site is available to do this work so it should go smoothly and quickly. His company does a lot of work like this so they don't require a huge amount of explanation or supervision. Estimate is about 5 days of work but they won't be able to start for another couple of weeks since they are finishing up a job at some other site. But since I haven't got anything I need to test yet, it's not really a problem. Though I have been thinking about the fact that you really should have a distance weapon that will actually take down a gargoyle. The device I made is fine for something like we're doing tonight but you can't carry it around with you on the off chance you encounter a gargoyle. Also, I'd like to get the files on some of the other things you hunt so I can start being proactive in my designing. Its abundantly clear to me that The Order is pretty archaic in their weapons and methods."

Van Helsing couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Carl to already be thinking of problems they hadn't even encountered yet. Smiling he said, "How about we concentrate on one set of monsters at a time? Besides, I'm hungry and if I let you get started, we'll never get out of here."

Carl smiled ruefully and said, "You're probably right. So what is the usual pre-hunt dinner? To be honest, I could really go for a cheeseburger but I will eat pretty much anything since you're the one who's going to be doing the heavy lifting as it were." He got up from his desk and walked over to the counter to grab the device from the counter where he had left it. Having it in hand, he turned to face the Hunter.

Van Helsing shrugged. "Burgers are good. Though we're heading in town for them. I don't even want to know what passes for a hamburger in the upper classes. Do they even have hamburgers?" He knew he was on the edge of actually insulting Carl but after several hours of his own company, he was itching for some kind of stimulation.

Carl gave him a dirty look and said "Not that you would ever see them admit, no. But since its already been established that I don't do the society thing, I think you can safely say that hamburgers exist in my world. Along with French fries, pizza and milkshakes. Anything else you would like to know?" Carl knew his answer was a bit cranky but he hated when Van Helsing brought up his social status. Ok, fine, his family was upper class but Carl had as little to do with them as possible. He had never been happy in that world and had worked very hard to establish his own life away from it all. Though since he was trying to hold the moral high ground while standing in an inherited mansion, his position was just a bit shaky. Still, that was no reason for Van Helsing to rub his nose in it. At least he was willing to share.

Van Helsing could see Carl's sulk and decided that since it wasn't looking like it would turn into the pout he so liked to torture himself with, that he'd let up on the man. "Glad to here it. So how about you get that arse of yours in gear so we can get going?" He said it with a grin to let Carl know he was teasing and not annoyed.

Carl started to walk out of the lab in front of Van Helsing then shot back over his shoulder. "You are always telling me to get my arse in gear. It is feeling very much unloved." He gave one final grin and then was out of the doorway.

Van Helsing growled slightly and grumbled "Oh, believe me, I would just love to show your arse how much I appreciate it." And with that he followed Carl out the lab.

It seemed a given that with both of them going that Van Helsing would drive. While Carl wasn't normally all that thrilled with being the passenger, he knew that Van Helsing's tolerance was even lower then his and it just wasn't worth it – not tonight anyway. He settled into the passenger seat and allowed himself to just relax. To be honest, he was rather glad to see the man. While he had kept himself busy, he would have rather have spent that time with Van Helsing. He would never admit it but he was really nervous. He knew his device would work but he was aware of the fact that there were a number of variables that he hadn't taken into effect when he made his own plans about how tonight was going to go. The fact of the matter was he just didn't have anything he could call upon that could even come close to simulating field experience and he couldn't exactly ask Van Helsing since in theory, he was taking off at the first sign of trouble.

He stared out the window and tried to pull himself out of this endless loop he had spiraled in all afternoon. Things would work out somehow. He was a problem solver. People paid him very well to take care of their problems. He would take care of Van Helsing's – whether the man liked it or not.

They pulled up in front of a pub in the work class side of town. The clientele was mostly blue-collar workers getting a pint and a bite after work. The hostess waved them over and sat them down in a corner booth and left them with a promise that someone would be by to get their drink orders. Carl opened his menu and scanned it hopefully but once again, this was not a place that served milkshakes. Promising himself that he'd make a special trip to get one tomorrow, he resigned himself to cola and checked out the rest of the menu. Just as he thought, he settled on a cheeseburger and fries and put his menu down.

Van Helsing hadn't bothered with the menu. He had been here before and he knew what he wanted. Seeing Carl put down his menu soon after sitting he was rather surprised. He had thought Carl would pour over the menu for a while and maybe even ask the waitress some questions. But he seemed like he had made up his mind. Surprise, surprise.

The waitress came hurrying over and gave Van Helsing a big smile. "Hey gorgeous. It's been a while. I've been missing you terribly." She added a wink and a pout to the statement and Van Helsing just chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Mandy but I've been rather busy. But I find it hard to believe that you could possibly miss me with all the guys who come here every night just to see you." Van Helsing had a wide and slightly seedy grin on his face.

Mandy just let her smile grown more flirtatious and leaned in closer. "Yeah but they're only substitutes for the real thing." Her look was pure invitation.

It was all Carl could do not to leap out of the booth and strangle Mandy. Was this why Van Helsing picked the place, so he could pick up Mandy? It was enough to put Carl off the cheeseburger he had rather been looking forward to. Deciding that action was required before things got worse, he cleared his throat and said sweetly "So, I take it you are something of a regular here Van Helsing?" This drew Mandy's attention away from her current victim and she sized up Carl in a rather predatory way.

Sliding over to Carl's side of the booth she purred, "Well, well, who's your friend, Van Helsing?" Eyes scoped out Carl and apparently liked what they saw because she leaned in a bit closer and said "Seeing as you are new here, I'm gonna make it my job to see that you are well taken care of. Got anything you might be hankering for? " She had maneuvered herself so that Carl had a front row view of her cleavage and he had to swallow hard before he could make any kind of sound come out. Words were out of the question.

Van Helsing had been enjoying Mandy's usual hard sell but when it suddenly switched to Carl he found it a lot less amusing. Carl seemed captivated by Mandy's rather slutty display and he found a possessive spike of jealous running through him. He cleared his throat loudly and growled, "Lay off him, Mandy. Carl isn't your type."

Mandy merely smiled in amusement and said, "On the contrary, he's exactly my type. " She turned back to Carl and said, "I bet you are a real sweet one. At least until you get going then I'm sure you are all kinds of fun. It's always the quiet, shy ones that turn out to be the wild ones. Isn't that right, sugar?" She gave Carl what she was sure was a seductive look and Carl just stammered in embarrassment.

Poor Carl knew he was blushing like an idiot but he couldn't help it. He had been raised to be a gentleman and he always felt lost when confronted by aggressive and unwanted attentions. He hated being rude and hurting someone's feelings but in situations like this, there weren't any other options.

However, as it turned out, a response from him wasn't necessary as Van Helsing came to his rescue. "That's enough, Mandy. The man isn't interested so back off." He glared at the woman who raised an eyebrow in surprise and stepped back a bit from the table.

"Well, excuse me. I was only being friendly. But hey, by all means, let's keep this all business-like, shall we? She grabbed the pad and pen from her pocket and giving the Hunter a hard look said, "So, what would the gentleman like?"

Van Helsing was unimpressed by Mandy's suddenly frosty attitude and said "Burger, medium, skip the veggies. Fries on the side and a draft." He continued to hold her gaze to make sure his point had been made and then looked away to allow her to take Carl's order.

Carl was still blushing at his poor handling of Mandy's come on and so mumbled  
"I'd like a cheeseburger, fries and a cola." He gave Mandy a tentative smile but she continued to look at him coolly. He ducked his head and stared at the table.

"Anything else?" she said shortly. At Van Helsing's sharp no, she turned and walked away.

Carl continued to fidget a bit and then finally blurted out "Is she always like that?" He blushed an even brighter red when he heard how panicky he sounded.

Van Helsing gave Carl an exasperated look and said, "Yes. Why, are you interested?" As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. It made him sound jealous and thinking about Carl's possible positive response was like a knife in the gut. He tried to cover it by looking out over the rest of the restaurant.

Carl just shook his head and said "Oh no! She's a bit… well… aggressive for my taste. She makes me think of a hungry lioness sizing up an antelope for dinner. I doubt there would be anything left of me." He tried to give a half-hearted grin but Van Helsing was still glowering a bit.

A horrible thought suddenly crossed Carl's mind. What if Van Helsing was upset because Carl had pulled Mandy's attention away from him? After all, he may have chosen this place figuring he could make a date with Mandy for after the mission. No doubt she'd be getting off from work by the time they were finished with the gargoyles. That thought didn't make him very happy at all. Carl sighed and went back to studying the table.

Mandy came back over and plunked their glasses down in front of them with little ceremony and no conversation. She swiftly moved back into the crowd where she began to flirt outrageously with a man at another table.

Van Helsing picked up his beer and took a swallow. Carl had picked up his own glass and an awkward silence hung over the table. Knowing that they couldn't go into the mission in this state, Van Helsing put down his glass and decided to broach the topic of what came next.

"So, its about an hour until sunset. I'd like to be in position 10 minutes before so that we can be sure that none of them have left the nest." This wasn't really necessary information but it seemed like as good an icebreaker as any.

Carl looked up from his contemplation of the table and said, "OK, that makes sense. How far away is the nest?"

"Its about 5 minutes from here so we've got a little time to eat before we have to get over there. And I do suggest you eat. When all of this is over, you'll probably be battling a huge adrenaline rush and you'll feel better if you have some food in your system to help counteract it."

Carl nodded and said, "Yeah, I imagine I will be pretty charged up. I know I was the last time I encountered them. Of course this time I'm facing them with a trained Hunter and I know what the hell I'm dealing with. That should help a lot. And I won't be getting strangled in the car on the way home." Deciding that he wanted to lighten the mood a bit, he gave Van Helsing a mock timid look and said, "I'm not going to, am I?"

Remembering back to that strange first night and Carl's disastrous attempt to wake him up, he chuckled and said "No, I only save that for special occasions." He picked up his beer and saluted Carl with it before taking a drink. The dark atmosphere brought on by Mandy had been completely dispersed.

Carl felt himself relaxing as Van Helsing responded to his teasing. He didn't like it when they were at odds and he was glad that Mandy hadn't put a permanent wedge between them. Still, he was hoping that Mandy's sulking would last and Van Helsing wouldn't be hooking up with her after the mission. Casually glancing over to where she was, he saw her all over another patron who was clearly happy to have her attentions. _Looks like Mandy will be off the market for tonight._ Carl drank from his glass to cover up his smile. No point in gloating over the fact that Van Helsing wouldn't be enjoying the company of a certain bottled blonde slut.

His triumph over Mandy succeeded in distracting Carl from his nervousness and he found himself actually enjoying himself. He was hanging out with Van Helsing, he had junk food on the way and once they dealt with the gargoyles, their partnership would be cemented. All in all, it was a good night.

Van Helsing found himself watching Carl from under his lashes. He was trying to figure out how Carl was doing. The man seemed relaxed and coping but he was about to voluntarily go face monsters that would have most people screaming and running in the opposite direction. Though he personally would be happier if Carl would consider the idea – the running, not the screaming – should things go really bad. But the blond sat there looking like they were doing nothing more then hanging out and getting a bite to eat. It worried him. Carl should be showing at least SOME nervousness. This wasn't a walk in the park after all. Shaking his head he decided that the only thing to do was to ask Carl point blank how he was doing.

Carl was looking around the pub and Van Helsing had to clear his throat to get his attention. Carl smiled and Van Helsing felt a momentary regret that this wasn't an evening of hanging out. He made yet another pledge to himself that he wasn't going to allow anything to happen to Carl – even if Carl refused to cooperate. And since part of that was to make sure that Carl wasn't hiding his fear or nervousness, he broached the subject.

"So I thought I should check in with you and see how you are doing? After all, this isn't actually your normal thing." He winced a bit as he thought that sounded rather lame but then mentally shrugged. Its not like he was use to having to work with someone else in these situations – Carl knew this.

Carl cocked his head thoughtfully and mused, "No, I have to say this is a bit more dangerous then many of the things I do. Though I've had some close calls in my lab that I'd be just as happy not to repeat. Still, we've prepared as much as we can and we've just got to trust that your experience and my design work are enough to do the job. And while I'm less certain about my part in all of this, I'm quite confident in your abilities."

Van Helsing felt warmth steal through him at Carl's simple statement of trust. He couldn't think of a time when anyone had ever trusted him so much and to know that Carl did crumbled the walls around his heart a little more. He swallowed hard, suddenly unable to respond. He lowered his head and allowed his hair to hide his face. He didn't want Carl to know just how much this meant to him.

Carl saw Van Helsing duck his head and felt a surge of compassion for the man who was so clearly unused to someone thinking highly of him. It made him wonder again just what Van Helsing's past was. Surely the Order's lack of appreciation for the Hunter's skills couldn't be the full story behind Van Helsing's damaged self-image. Whatever it was, Carl was determined that he would show the man that he was more then just a highly skilled killer of monsters.

As if to ease the way, Mandy returned with their food. Still sulking, she didn't linger longer then to ask if they needed more drinks. The two men began eating, the silence between them necessary as each processed his own thoughts. It was Van Helsing that finally broke the silence by saying "I want you to know I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe in there." His expression was serious and solemn.

Carl smiled slightly and said, "I know you will. But I don't want you putting yourself in unnecessary danger to do it. I'll take care of myself. You just concentrate on staying out of reach of the gargoyles until my machine can do its thing. I'll be just fine."

The Hunter opened his mouth to speak and Carl stopped him with an upraised hand. "I know. If things get hairy, you want me out of there. I haven't forgotten. Trust me Van Helsing like I trust you." Carl looked Van Helsing directly in the eye, trying to make the man understand that he wasn't doing this alone anymore. He had someone watching his back. Granted, Carl wasn't exactly trained in this sort of thing but he'd make up for his lack of experience by thinking just a little bit faster on his feet. That he was good at.

Van Helsing sighed and looked down at his beer. "I do trust you, Carl. You wouldn't be here if I didn't. But I am worried about you. You've done a lot for me and I'd hate to repay all that by getting you hurt or worse." He fiddled with a napkin, again unwilling to look at Carl in case he could read the depths of his feelings towards him. If Carl got hurt tonight, he'd never forgive himself.

Carl reached over and clasped the hand that was shredding the napkin. Van Helsing looked up at the unexpected contacted and Carl smiled very gently and said, "Nothing's going to happen to me. The machine is going to work and we're both going to come out there nothing more then dirty." Van Helsing still looked unconvinced and Carl knew while he would like to get Van Helsing to believe, only time and a successful outcome would do that. So he switched tactics and said "And, as an added bonus, just think about how ticked off Jinette will be when he finds out you wiped out the entire nest and didn't get so much as a scratch. We'll be able to hear his screams of rage all the way over here." He smiled at Van Helsing coaxingly, willing him to respond.

Van Helsing gave a half-hearted smile and said, "You are probably right." Then looking at his watch he said, "Well, we should probably get going. Might as well get this over with." He pulled out his wallet and dropped enough money on the table to cover the bill.

Carl nodded and said, "Alright then. Let's go kick some gargoyle butt." He rose from the table and followed Van Helsing out of the pub.

Page 9


	18. Chapter 18

**_Warning - we have achieved gargoyles. Probably not a good chapter to read at work or someplace where getting too caught up will get you in trouble..._**

Though the trip from the restaurant to the abandoned building was short, Carl had begun to feel his nerves coming back. He wished again that someone at the Order had done some research that would have let him better pinpoint the crippling frequency they needed. He was worried that the process would take too long and Van Helsing would not be able to stay out of range of all of the gargoyles. It only would take one lucky swipe for the gargoyles to get him down and Van Helsing was not exactly at top speed right now. Carl tried to take several deep breaths to steady himself but his chest was far too tight to allow it. He sighed and mentally ran algarhythms in his head – his old standby when he needed to clear his head. It did at least give him the illusion of calm, which was good because Van Helsing was giving him a very searching look.

Van Helsing could see the tension in Carl's body and decided to give one last try at keeping Carl out of the building. He waited until Carl had taken his device out of the car and then planted himself in front of him. "I know that it would take me longer to make the device work but I'm willing to chance that if you want to stay out here. This isn't your work, Carl and there's no shame in admitting that."

Carl felt a small flare of annoyance, which he quickly tamped down. He knew this was just Van Helsing being protective of a non-hunter in a dangerous situation. But he was determined to watch the Hunter's back, nerves or no nerves. He had made a pledge to the man – no more going it alone - and he wasn't going to wimp out at the first chance to make good on that promise. He squared his shoulders and said, "It may not have been my work but it is now. We're partners and partners do things as a team. Where you go, I go. That's the deal and I'm not backing out now that we are here. Now what do you say we go in there and take care of these things once and for all." He looked Van Helsing square in the eye to show that he was ready to do this.

Van Helsing could see Carl's determination and a stab of admiration hit him even as the rest of him wanted to push Carl in the car and send him off to safety. The man had guts and loyalty and while he might want to keep him safe, it was clear Carl was not going to let him. Best he could do was make sure that the gargoyles were clearly fixated on him so that they were too busy to notice the other person in the building. He sighed at the flimsiness of that plan and then shrugged and said, "Ok, then. We do this together. " He removed his jacket to free up his movements and gave the tojos one final check before reholstering them. Then giving Carl a nod, he gave one final order.

"Remember, if I tell you to get out of there, I expect you to do it. I'm in charge. Your job is to stay out of sight, out of danger and get the machine to work. Those first two are the most important and if you can't do them, then you get out. I mean it Carl. You've got guts but I'd rather not see them all over the floor." He knew that last part was crude but he was hoping that if he could rattle Carl just a little that maybe he'd consider following an order to run.

Carl winced inwardly at the graphic comment but outwardly showed no signs it had gotten to him. "I'll do my part of the plan, Van Helsing. Now you do yours, which is to distract them while staying well away from them. Note the well away part, Van Helsing. That means you don't let them close enough to do damage. I don't care what's going on, you stay out of range." Carl glared at the Hunter who he knew was going to do something foolish, just because he thought he had to in defense of Carl.

Van Helsing shrugged and said, "I'll do what I have to." When Carl opened his mouth to argue, he just held up his hand and said, "I'm not going to argue about this. You know the plan. I'm going in and you're going to stay 5 feet behind me. You wait for me to call you before you leave the stairwell. When I do, you break from the stair well and make for the pile of debris and hide. You head straight for the pile – no detours. I can't afford to be worrying about you. I need to know that you are safely out of the way."

Carl bit his lip and hedged his bet by saying "I'll keep safe. Now lets get this over with before someone comes along or the damn things try to leave. I'm not going to chase them all over the city."

Van Helsing was less then pleased by Carl's response but also knew it was the best he was going to get. Sending out a silent prayer to whoever watched out for Hunters, he asked that they keep Carl safe and unharmed. Then he squared his shoulders and said "OK, let's do it."

Carl nodded and swallowed against a suddenly tight throat. Silently he prayed "Please. I know I haven't exactly been the most devote man but please watch over Van Helsing. After all, he's doing your work so you should be willing to keep him safe. He's a good man and he deserves to be watched out for. Just give me the strength to be there for him like he needs." He followed a few feet back from the Hunter as they entered the building.

Once inside he had to let his eyes adjust to the gloom. There was light spilling in from the street lamps outside but it was not enough to light the whole interior. Shadows danced along the walls as the two men moved slowly into the building. Carl could see Van Helsing carefully checking out the room, his eyes moving swiftly from corner to corner, checking for danger, his body alert and ready for action. The tojos were now in his hands and Carl knew he was seeing Van Helsing as the Hunter truly was. It was an awe-inspiring sight. The man was like a warrior of old – the perfect balance of skill, intuition and control. There was no doubt of this man's deadliness and Carl felt a wave of gratitude that this man was on his side.

As Van Helsing moved further into the building, his senses were on full alert. He could hear some moving around on the upper floor but continued to make sure that the downstairs was empty and that Carl would have a clear path to safety if need be. Having confirmed that the downstairs was empty, he gestured to Carl and began to make his way to the stairs. He didn't bother to look back, being able to sense that Carl was only a few feet behind him. Giving off one final prayer that Carl remain safe, he reached the bottom of the stairs.

He paused again to listen and could here the scratching noises of the gargoyles stirring as they awoke from their slumber. Carl came up behind him and touched him lightly on the shoulder. Van Helsing leaned so that his face was close to Carl's and whispered "What is it?"

Carl whispered back. "I'm going to start up the machine. The stairwell will stifle its effectiveness but I want to give you as much support as possible as you leave the cover of the stairwell."

Van Helsing nodded and then watched as Carl flipped a switch and a light came to show that it was working. Carl fiddled with a couple of dials and then nodded. Neither man said anything else as Van Helsing climbed the stairwell.

Carl could feel his heart pounding as he watched Van Helsing move closer to danger. He wished he could have gone up first, had a few moments to adjust for response from the gargoyles before the Hunter left the stairwell but he knew that Van Helsing was far too stubborn to allow someone else to take a risk before him. He strained his ears to listen for any noises that might tell him how the gargoyles were responding. As he saw Van Helsing reach the ½ way point on the stairs, he began his own climb. He could feel his breathing picking up as well and tried to force himself to slow. If he hyperventilated, then he would be no use at all.

Van Helsing reached the top of the stair well and could hear the movements of the gargoyles increasing. It was clear that they were almost awake and that he was going to have to make his move quickly if he wanted to catch them unaware. He glanced down at Carl who was ¾ of the way from the top and gave one final nod. He gestured out to let the other man know that he was going to leave the stairwell.

Carl made a sharp negative gesture with his hand. He moved a bit quicker to make it up to where Van Helsing was standing. He didn't want Van Helsing to leave until the machine had a chance to work.

Van Helsing glared down at Carl who was trying to tell him to wait. He knew what Carl wanted but he wasn't going to take the risk that the gargoyles would sense Carl's presence until they were far too occupied with him to go after Carl. He shook his head sharply and gestured again that he was going out. Carl had practically reached the top of the stairs and he was afraid that he might do something foolish.

The decision was taken out of both of their hands as the effects of Carl's machine made themselves known. Bloodcurdling shrieks came from the gargoyles and it was clear that whatever Carl's machine was doing, they didn't like it one bit. The sounds of the gargoyles moving about became louder as the gargoyles were now fully awake and searching for the thing that was bringing them pain.

Van Helsing

At the first shriek, Van Helsing dove from the stairwell, determined to keep the gargoyles from tracking the noise to the stairwell and Carl. Carl called out to him but he ignored it, his every sense on high alert, the Hunter in action.

Racing down what was left of the hallway, he saw the first of the gargoyles clear the room they nested in. It shrieked angrily and came after him. Van Helsing yelled and then dived into one of the damaged rooms, determined to lure the gargoyles away from the hallway so Carl could get into place. He heard the other gargoyles responding to their nest mates call, and backed farther into the room to allow himself space to maneuver.

Carl

The gargoyles' shrieks sent a cold chill down Carl's spine and he swallowed hard as fear washed over him. But then Van Helsing ran from the safety of the stairwell and fear for himself became fear for Van Helsing. It was clear that the frequency he thought would be debilitating was merely annoying and instead of helping the Hunter, he had only made the gargoyles mad. Taking a deep breath, he began to adjust the dials, listening frantically for a response from the monsters. But when he heard the angry shriek and Van Helsing roaring, "come on then, let's do this" he realized that Van Helsing was going to do something monumentally stupid and that he couldn't stay in the stairwell if he wanted to be of any help at all.

Van Helsing

Van Helsing heard the answering calls from the other gargoyles and knew he had their attention. He would pull them all into this room with him and give Carl a clear shot at getting into his hiding place. He moved into a fighting stance as the first gargoyle came into the room. He could hear the sound of the other three as they entered the hallway and made to join their nest mate.

The first gargoyle shrieked again and dove towards Van Helsing. He spun away, the tojo scoring a deep gash into its back as it shot past him. Its cry of pain spurned the other gargoyles onward. He saw a second gargoyle enter the room as he pivoted to give himself a clear view of the room and space to move in.

Carl

Carl heard the sound of the other gargoyles moving about the far side of the building and peered carefully out of the stairwell. He saw a second gargoyle enter the room that Van Helsing was no doubt in and knew he had to act fast. He set the machine down and quickly turned a dial, guessing that a high frequency would create more pain for the gargoyles and slow them down. The gargoyles shrieked even louder then before and Carl heard glass shattering in response. He also heard a thud and afraid that it was the Hunter going down, he grabbed up the machine and sprinted down the hallway.

Van Helsing

The two gargoyles in the room with him shuddered and clawed madly at the air. It would appear that Carl's machine was still working on them though it wasn't really slowing them down. If anything, it was riling them up more. Grimly he moved, trying to find a way inside their defenses. An irate gargoyle nearly caught him with his claws and he had to dive rapidly to avoid it. His not yet healed ribs groaned in protest but he couldn't let up now. A third gargoyle entered the room and Van Helsing was forced to move in rapid dives and lunges to keep out of their way. His tojos were scoring marks along their bodies but not enough to cripple them. As he ducked and weaved, he began to worry – where was the other gargoyle. As he rolled sideways and scored the underbelly of one gargoyle, a horrible thought came to him. What if the other gargoyle had gone after Carl? An icy cold wave of fear washed over him…

Carl

Trying to stay as low to the ground as he could and still run, he dashed up the corridor. He needed to be in a better position for the harmonics of the machine to have maximum effectiveness. He heard more crashes and shrieks from the room where Van Helsing was and his heart leapt up into his throat. There were now three gargoyles in there with Van Helsing and they were angry enough to tear the man to shreds. He sprinted towards the room that had his safe place to hide and was almost to the doorway when he heard a shriek that was not coming from the room where Van Helsing fought. Turning around, he saw a gargoyle standing in the hallway looking right at him. It was the one that Van Helsing had injured but not managed to kill the night they met. It was missing an arm but even with that handicap, it still looked murderous and Carl swallowed hard as he realized that it was going to come after him. Spinning he dashed into the room and dived behind the pile of broken furniture. Setting the machine down, he began to frantically adjust dials. He could hear the angry, pained shrieks of the one armed gargoyle as it moved closer, looking to find Carl and tear him to pieces.

Van Helsing

Van Helsing heard the shriek of the fourth gargoyle and knew that Carl had not been able to make it to his hideout unseen. His mind racing, he realized that he was going to need to somehow make it back out of room he had deliberately lured the gargoyles into if he was going to save Carl. Unfortunately, he had chosen this room precisely because he could easily keep the gargoyles contained and prevent them from getting to Carl. Spinning again, he used his tojo to drive one of the gargoyles back into the other. They snarled at each other and momentarily began to swipe at each other. Van Helsing feinted towards the third and then lunged quickly so that the claws of the third one missed him and scored across the two fighting gargoyles. This caused enough of a distraction that he was able to dive through the door before they caught on. Unfortunately it was not long enough and they were hard on his heels as he sprinted down the hall towards Carl

Carl

Carl could hear the one armed gargoyle getting closer and while his cries sounded pained, it was clearly not enough to stop him. Thinking quickly, he ran through his calculations again. By all rights, this should be near enough to crippling them entirely. Yet from the sounds coming from the monster now less then 10 feet away, his calculations were wrong.

He heard Van Helsing call out to him and realized that the man was coming after him. Knowing that running away from the gargoyles in this enclosed space only increased the chances of the gargoyles managing to claw him, Carl decided that he was going to have to try something drastic. Offering up a quick prayer to the Saint of Geeks and Nerds, he grabbed a dial and twisted it hard….

Van Helsing

Van Helsing ran through the door and saw the fourth gargoyle only a few feet away from Carl's hiding place. Rage filled him and with a savage cry, he launched himself across the room towards the monster.

It heard him and turned towards him, a feral snarl coming from its snout. It recognized the smell of the man who had cut off its arm and it wanted revenge. It also heard its fellow nest mates joining it and knew that it would only be a matter of time before they had man flesh to feast on.

Tojos whirling, Van Helsing attacked the gargoyle, trying to destroy it before it reached Carl. He tried to drive it away from Carl's hiding place but the gargoyle seemed determined not to be budged from its cornered prey. He could hear the other gargoyles charging into the room and knew that time was running out for them. Barely dodging a swipe that was intended to slice open his stomach, he scrambled desperately to find some way to save Carl.

As the other three gargoyles closed in on Van Helsing, he braced himself and prepared to go down fighting…

The gargoyles shrieked so shrilly that in almost dropped Van Helsing to his knees. It was only knowing that he was holding the tojos that kept him from trying to cover his ears. He watched in stunned belief as the gargoyles collapsed around him shrieking and twitching. It was clear that Carl had finally found the magic frequency. Acting quickly before the gargoyles could recover, he quickly struck the heads off them all. Once they were dead, he turned to get Carl only to find him standing there with a large piece of wood in his hands, clearly intending to take action if necessary. The absurdity of it brought a smile to Van Helsing's face. He holstered the tojos and walked across the room to Carl.

Carl threw down the table leg and began to search Van Helsing for injuries. He was terrified that his delay in finding the frequency had lead to Van Helsing getting hurt. "You are covered in gargoyle gunk and I can't tell if you are bleeding anywhere. Did they get you? Should we be heading to a hospital?" Carl circled the Hunter like a nervous puppy and Van Helsing had to grab him by the shoulders to make him stop.

"Carl, I'm fine. I was more concerned about you. Why didn't you wait until I called you before leaving the stairwell? I was trying to get all four into the room with me so you'd have safe passage."

Carl glared at Van Helsing. "Oh yeah, that would be real safe for you. Trapped in a room with four angry gargoyles. I was trying to get to a position where the machine could actually be effective. I think the composition of the walls was damping the harmonics. It was much more effective when I got farther into the building."

"Yes, and you were also in a lot more danger. I thought we had an agreement?" snarled Van Helsing. Now that the immediate danger to Carl was out of the way, he was starting to get angry at Carl's reckless behavior. Damn it but the man was suppose to stay safely out of sight.

Carl was equally as angry. Van Helsing had carelessly rushed into danger rather then give Carl a chance to do his part to lessen the threat and he was not going to apologize for doing what had to be done. He stuck out his chin, glared back at the Hunter and snapped "We did have an agreement. I said that if you gave me an order to leave, that I would. I don't remember hearing any such thing." Crossing his arms across his chest he continued "I know you are use to working alone but you are part of a team now and you have to give me a chance to do what it is that I do best. My machine worked and if you had given me a few more minutes, you would never have needed to get into that room with them at all. The whole point of this is to make you take less risks not more. You aren't out here alone anymore and there is someone here who actually would care if something happened to you." Carl turned away and stormed out the door, his emotions having reached such a pitch that he just couldn't stand there anymore.

Van Helsing looked at the door where Carl had just exited, his face a portrait of shock. He hadn't expected Carl to blow up at him like that. He had been so focused on his own fears for the man that he forgot that Carl would be equally afraid for him. He sighed, his own anger gone and made to follow Carl out. He was going to have to do some apologizing it would seem. He was almost out the door when he heard Carl call back up the stairs "Grab the machine. I left it behind."

Van Helsing was heading back across the room when a police siren suddenly made him pause. Looking at the gargoyle carcasses scattered across the room, he realized he was going to need to call for a clean up crew from the order. Sighing, he finished crossing the room and grabbed the machine. His phone was in the car and he wasn't looking forward to having to talk to Jinette.

He headed quickly down the stairs looking to rejoin Carl. He wanted to apologize before he called Jinette since he knew he'd be in a foul mood afterwards. Reaching the outside, he found Carl sitting in the car staring steadily in the opposite direction of the building. He didn't so much as move when Van Helsing climbed in the car. When Van Helsing handed Carl the machine, he took it without ever looking him. In the light of the street lamp, Van Helsing could see Carl's face, which was a mixture of anger and something else that Van Helsing couldn't identify. Hating this sudden distance between them, he struggled to find the right words to say to make things better.

"Look Carl, I'm sorry. When I heard the gargoyles reacting badly to your machine, my first reaction was to protect you. I was afraid if they made it to the stairwell, that I'd be unable to defend you in the tight quarters. I had every faith your machine would work – if you were given time to use it. I never would have been able to take them out without your help and I'm really grateful that you did this for me." He hung his head, uncomfortable with Carl's lack of response to his apology.

Carl listened to Van Helsing's explanation and realized that it made perfect sense from a Hunter's perspective. You don't allow yourself to get caught in a place where you can't defend yourself. Unfortunately for Carl, that also meant that Van Helsing was likely to do this again. He sighed and made a promise that he was going to look for better ways to protect Van Helsing.

Looking over at Van Helsing for the first time, he saw the man looking down and biting at his lip – a surprisingly vulnerable look for a man who just fought off four gargoyles. Fighting an urge to brush the hair back from the man's face he said quietly "I'm sorry too. I don't think I handled my post-mission tension very well." He gave Van Helsing a small smile and continued. "Neither of us are quite use to handling having to look out for someone else. It's going to take us a little time to adjust but I think it will be worth it. We made a really good team in there. We took out four gargoyles in their nest without casualties or even property damage. That's never been done before. I'd say we've done pretty good for our first time out as a team." He tried to make his smile show that all was well between them

Van Helsing felt a weight off his chest as Carl began talking to him again. When Carl smiled, he felt a smile of his own forming. As tough as tonight had been, Carl was safe and even more surprising, still here. Maybe things were finally looking up for him.

The moment was broken by a car pulling down the street with its radio blaring. Shaken out of his immobility, he looked away from Carl and tried to cover up his embarrassment by saying "Well, shall we get out of here? I think we've had enough fun for one night."

Carl chuckled and said "Yeah, besides, you could really use a shower. You smell like gargoyle." He pretended to hold his nose until Van Helsing laughed.

"Hey, this is what real Hunters smell like. Don't let the movies fool you. We work up a manly sweat." He started the car and began the drive home.

Carl laughed and said "If it was just a manly sweat I could handle it but you, my friend, reek."

Van Helsing just shrugged and said "Well, that is the advantage of working alone. No one to complain when you come home smelling of hell beasts."

Carl laughed harder and said "Hope you realize you are doing your own laundry. I'm not touching those things. In fact, I should make you strip outside so you don't bring the stench in with you…" Carl trailed off as the image of Van Helsing stripping in the front yard left him more then a bit flustered.

Van Helsing was glad he had to keep his eyes on the road as he could feel himself flushing a bit at Carl's comment. He would be very glad to strip for Carl… if he had meant it the way Van Helsing wished he did. Feeling himself growing hard, he realized that if he wanted any kind of sanity left, he was going to have to find someone to work off his pent up horniness before he did something he'd really regret. He would drive home, see Carl safely stowed and then after a shower, find the nearest bar and pick someone up. Otherwise he was going to explode.

Carl stared out his window. He couldn't believe he had said that! And worse yet, now that he had said it, he couldn't get the image out of his mind! He was feeling incredibly restless now that the danger was over and the last thing he needed was to be all hot and bothered over Van Helsing who was clearly not suffering the same problem. _Guess you get use to it over time…_ Still, that didn't help him right now. Guess he'd been spending the night in his lab… again.

Van Helsing navigated through the light traffic and decided he should get his call to headquarters out of the way. Grabbing his phone off the console, he flipped it open and hit the speed dial for Jinette. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he waited for Jinette to answer, completely forgetting it was early in the morning in Rome. He winced as an accented voice snarled "Van Helsing, this had better be good." Remembering that for once, he had nothing but good news he calmly replied "I thought you would like to know that the gargoyle nest is completely wiped out. I got the last four but we'll need a clean up crew to come in."

Jinette cut Van Helsing off before he could continue "How much damage did you do to the area? Were their witnesses? God damn, Van Helsing why is it your missions always end up in such messes?"

Van Helsing took another deep breath to stop the rising anger and said in a controlled voice "The building is fine – or at least, it is no more damaged then when I got there. Thing has been abandoned for years. And the only reason I asked for a clean up crew is someone should take care of the carcasses. Unless you'd rather have someone find them…"

Jinette snarled "I'll send in a crew to take of it. Now do me a favor and bugger off. Its about time you did something right." He rang off without asking if the Hunter was ok.

Van Helsing pushed down the usual anger that a conversation with Jinette brought on and tossed the phone back down on the console. Final part of the mission done. Now he was on his own time.

Carl listened to the short conversation and offered Van Helsing a compassionate smile. "Man really does need to work on his people skills. Don't let it bother you. You did good work tonight.'

Van Helsing heaved a sigh and said "Yeah. But now I just want to go home and shower. It's been a long night."

Carl nodded in agreement. "Yeah it has." To himself he thought _and its going to get even longer for me…_

Page 11


	19. Chapter 19

**_OK, had to get creative as the original version of this came in at NC-17 which is over the limit for FFnet. Unfortunately the act of trying to edit this to an acceptable rating kind of killed the flow of the story.For those of you who want to read the full version, I recommend checking out my LiveJournal http/ The edits are in italics for the curious types _**

The two men arrived home and exited the car in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts. Carl headed to the lab to stow the machine away while Van Helsing went upstairs to shower.

Once in his room, Van Helsing stripped off his filthy clothes and headed into the shower. The hot water felt good and ridding himself of the stench of the gargoyles felt even better. Washing himself clean he could feel the pent up energy that generally came with a completed mission crackling through his body. He definitely needed to hit a pub and find a willing body for the night. He was horny as hell and it didn't help to think that maybe Carl was just across the hall taking a shower of his own.

The image of Carl naked and wet did not help his already overcharged libido. With a growl of frustration, he wretched the water off and stepped out of the shower. Toweling off as he walked back into the room, he grabbed the first clean clothes he could find and pulled them on. His state of semi-arousal did not help matters and he promised his cock that if it would just hang in there, they'd find some warm and willing person to help it out. Stuffing supplies for later into a pocket, he grabbed his jacket and headed back down the stairs.

He was just reaching the bottom of the stairs when he saw Carl coming out of the lab. Surprised that Carl was still up, he tried to casually hide the jacket behind him. He really didn't want to get into why he was heading back out again at this time of night.

Carl was just as surprised to see Van Helsing. He would have thought that the man would have gone to bed as soon as he cleaned up. After all, this was just another mission for him. Then he noticed that Van Helsing was trying to hide the fact that he was carrying his jacket. He was going back out? Was there something else that had to be done that he hadn't told him about? Carl frowned and said, "What's with the jacket? Is there something that still needs doing? I could help you…"

Van Helsing looked a bit uncomfortable and said "No. Everything's fine. I'm just feeling a bit restless so I thought I'd go out to a pub and unwind." He tried not to squirm like a teenager on their way to a keg party who got caught by their parent.

Carl perked up a bit and said "Really? You are feeling restless? And here I thought it was just me because it's my first mission. Going out for a beer sounds like a good idea. Mind if I join you?" Carl looked rather hopefully at Van Helsing. He knew he was torturing himself but he just couldn't resist spending a bit more time with Van Helsing. He was still coming down from knowing that the man had been in mortal danger not even an hour before. He wanted to spend a little time with him knowing that everything had worked out and that he was perfectly safe and unharmed.

Van Helsing tried not to look horrified at Carl's request. There was no way Carl could come with him. He just couldn't pick someone up if Carl was there. Especially since Carl was reason he was doing it in the first place. On the other hand, he couldn't just abandon the idea. His body was screaming for release and since the one who had gotten him in the state wasn't available…

He squirmed a bit when he realized that Carl was looking at him and waiting for an answer. He could feel an unaccustomed blush starting and looked away. He mumbled, "Actually, I'd rather you didn't. I was… well… I was looking to find a little company if you know what I mean." He was wishing the floor would swallow him up right now. The gargoyles had been easier to face then this!

Carl felt a blush of his own starting. God, he hadn't expected that. He wondered just what kind of person Van Helsing would pick up and found himself horrified when he couldn't stop himself from asking "Male or female?"

It was as if the earth stood still as both men were stunned into silence at the words that now hung between them. They stood looking at each other, both faces filled with shock.

The moment was broken when Carl snapped out of his stupor and stuttered, "I'm sorry. I had no right to ask that. Oh god, I'm sorry." And with that he turned and fled up the stairs as if the Hounds of Hell were after him.

Van Helsing stood for a moment in stunned disbelief, looking at the now empty place where Carl had stood. It was the sound of Carl's bedroom door slamming that shook him out of his immobility. Carl had just asked him if he was looking for a man or a woman. Carl had just asked him that. Carl had asked… Van Helsing's mind raced, thinking of all the possible reasons for it.

Carl meanwhile was pacing about his room in abject misery. He couldn't believe he had come right out and asked that. _Male or female?_ He must have taken a blow to the head tonight that he just didn't remember. How could he have come out and asked that? He wasn't supposed to know that Van Helsing was bi. And it wouldn't take long for Van Helsing to put two and two together and realize that Carl knew because he had snooped through Van Helsing's things. And that was going to tick the man off royally. Carl paced even quicker, his agitation practically tangible in the air.

And worse still, Van Helsing will probably realize just why Carl was asking. He'd figure out that Carl was interested in him and from there it was only a short leap to figuring out that he had feelings for him and then the whole thing just went to hell. How could he have been so stupid!

Part of him wanted to pack a bag and flee but it wouldn't accomplish anything. Besides, this was his home. You don't run away from your own home. He flung himself on the bed and pulled a pillow over his face. Maybe he could just stifle himself…

Unaware of Carl's agonized state above him, Van Helsing was doing a bit of pacing of his own. He was trying to decide if he could possibly be right about his interpretation of Carl's question. He knew he wasn't exactly objective about this since he wanted Carl more then he had ever wanted anyone before but the question was a leading one. If he had said "blonde or brunette?" then it would be different but he had asked "male or female?" And this after saying he was feeling pretty restless himself.

He growled in frustration. Being restless doesn't necessarily imply horny. He could be reading more into this then was really there. He paced another trip up the hall and then decided to hell with it! He had to know one way or the other.

Taking them two at a time, he ran up the stairs. Not bothering to knock, he threw open the door and found Carl curled up on the bed with a pillow over his face. He sat up immediately upon Van Helsing's abrupt entrance into his bedroom.

Van Helsing didn't bother with the niceties but barked, "If I said Male, what would you say?" He towered over Carl who was looking at him like a deer in the headlights.

Carl's head was spinning from Van Helsing's sudden appearance and abrupt question. And it wasn't helping his concentration that Van Helsing was radiating enough sexual energy to power a city. Try as he might, he couldn't do more then stare with his mouth open, all rational thoughts having fled from his mind.

Meanwhile, Van Helsing was in agony. He had just rolled the dice and now he wasn't sure if he hadn't just gambled everything away. Anxiety and lust warred for control and he was torn between fleeing the room and throwing himself on top of Carl. His breath was coming in harsh pants as he continued to stare at Carl who remained silent. Finally, he couldn't wait any longer. "Well, what do you say?" he growled, nerves frayed to the slenderous of threads.

Carl was snapped out of his trance by Van Helsing's harsh tones. Still, it was hard to speak when faced with a Van Helsing who was radiating desire from every pore. He could feel his own body temperature rising in response and he swallowed hard. He could hardly believe that Van Helsing was here and even more unbelievable lusting for him. It just didn't seem possible.

Van Helsing felt a chill steal through him at Carl's continued silence. It looks like he had misread the situation after all. Cursing softly under his breath, he turned to leave the room. He had really screwed things up this time.

Carl saw Van Helsing turning away and realized that he had never answered the man. Seeing a chance of a lifetime slipping away he dived towards the edge of the bed calling "Wait!"

Van Helsing spun around to see Carl moving towards him, his eyes wild and full of desire. He didn't hesitate for a second but closed the gap between them. He pulled Carl towards him and claimed the lips that had been taunting him since the beginning.

Carl wrapped his arms around Van Helsing's neck and kissed him back with all the pent up desire he had been carrying. Tonight had just been too much tension, too much fear for this man who meant so much to him. He could no more hold back then he could fly. He lost himself in the kiss and the man who inspired so much feeling in him.

Van Helsing felt like he was on fire. Kissing Carl was more intense than in any of his fantasies. He felt like he could drown in the desire that was coursing through him just from the taste and feel of Carl's mouth. It was so much more then he had imagined and yet still not enough. He deepened the kiss, plunging his tongue into Carl's willing mouth and heard a moan of desire and realized it was his own.

Carl was in heaven. This was what he wanted more then anything. As Van Helsing's tongue twined and slide along his own, he was helpless to do more then twist his fingers in Van Helsing's hair and hold him closer. He wanted nothing more then for the kiss to go on forever.

It was only the need for oxygen that drove the men to separate but the connection remained tangible as the desire that had finally been unleashed held sway. Barely a moment was allowed to gulp in air before they plunged back into the kiss, the passion between them spiraling even higher. They strained against each other, needing the feel of the other's body pressed against their own. Still, it was not quite enough and Van Helsing pulled away from the kiss, causing a moan of protest from Carl.

Van Helsing leaned in and planted a hard kiss on Carl's mouth and then pulled away again, this time reaching down and grabbing the hem of Carl's shirt. Yanking it almost brutally over Carl's head, he tossed the shirt aside and pulled Carl to him once more. This time he didn't hesitate to plunder Carl's mouth while his hands roamed over the now bare flesh.

Carl moaned and pressed into the hands caressing his flesh. Everywhere Van Helsing touched, he left a trail of fire and Carl was melting under the onslaught. His own hands unwound themselves from behind Van Helsing's neck and began their own assault on Van Helsing's shirt. Sliding up under the edge, he began to roam over the hard muscles he had dreamed about so many times. The feel of them only added to his dizziness. Rational thought had long since left him. All that was left was the sight and the taste and the feel of this man. He pushed the shirt up even higher and let his fingers drift across a nipple, which hardened even more at the touch. The moan that accompanied the move was so intoxicating that he did it again, now playing with the nub until Van Helsing had to break the kiss to groan his approval.

The feel of Carl's clever hands roaming his chest was driving Van Helsing wild. He wanted nothing more then to feel those hands on the rest of his body. Already he was so hard that it was almost painful.

"God Carl, I want you so much. You've got me aching so bad it's enough to drive me mad. " The Hunter ran one hand up Carl's back until it was cradling the back of Carl's head. His passion darkened eyes burned into Carl's and his breath came in harsh pants.

Van Helsing's words caused a shot of desire to go straight to Carl's groin and he moaned even as he arched up into Van Helsing's hold. "I want you too." he panted. "You have no idea how much. Just touch me. Anywhere. Everywhere. Anything you want. Just please. I need this." Carl was shaking with the force of his desire.

Carl's words were all Van Helsing needed to hear. He pushed Carl until he lay on his back and quickly ripping off his own shirt, he joined him there, pressing him down into the mattress as he claimed Carl's mouth again in a soul-stealing kiss. Then breaking away, he began to trail kisses along Carl's jaw and down his neck. Reaching the spot where shoulder and neck met, he began to suck and nip, causing Carl to arch up against him with a passionate groan. Encouraged by Carl's response, he continued to kiss and nip his way along Carl's collarbone, his moans and whimpers only making him hotter. Carl writhed beneath him and watching him come undone was the greatest turn on he had ever seen.

Reaching one pale pink nipple he ran his tongue across it and smiled as Carl arched up into his touch. He ran his tongue around it in circles until it was hard and then sucked it into his mouth. It was only his weight on Carl's body that kept him from arching completely off the bed. He worried the nipple with his teeth and then soothed it gently with his tongue. Then kissing his way across Carl's chest, he began the same treatment on the other. Meanwhile his hands continued to caress Carl's sides and stomach.

A steady stream of moans and whimpers were coming from Carl. Van Helsing's hands and mouth were driving him steadily out of his mind. His own hands were tracing the lines of Van Helsing's back, the feel of hard muscles exhilarating. The feel of teeth on his nipple was enough to cause him to cry out, the pleasure so intense it was blinding. But was nothing in comparison to when a hand slid across his waistband and ghosted over his straining, cloth covered erection. "Van Helsing" came in gasping pants as he tried futilely to arch up into the hand that had already moved away again.

Van Helsing raised his head from Carl's chest and an almost predatory smile lit his face. "You liked that, did you?" he growled as he allowed his hand to drift downward again, just barely enough to be felt and not nearly enough to satisfy.

Carl cried out again. "Van Helsing please. Don't tease me. I need you. I need you so bad. Please" His words were broken and his eyes begged that Van Helsing give him the release that he so badly needed.

Van Helsing looked at Carl, completely wanton in his need and begging for him and he felt a rush of satisfaction. Carl was completely undone and all for him. Carl was his and he had every intention of claiming him. With a possessive growl, he lowered his head and kissed Carl with every ounce of passion he was feeling. Then breaking away he went once again to the side of Carl's neck, this time with the intention of leaving a mark that would show the world that Carl was his. He growled again as he heard Carl's passionate cry and felt him writhe in pleasure. Raising his head, he could see the reddened flesh and knew that by tomorrow no one would have any doubts that Carl was his.

Carl knew that Van Helsing was marking him and he didn't care. The man had claimed his long before tonight. He willingly surrendered to Van Helsing and let him do with him what he wanted. Never had he felt such intense pleasure before and he knew it was because it was Van Helsing. When Van Helsing pulled away from his neck, he whimpered a protest but it quickly died when he saw the look on Van Helsing's face. It was wild and possessive and Carl felt himself grow even more aroused. He had never been with anyone like this before – so fierce and possessive.

Having staked his claim, he raked his eyes along the man who was lying so willingly beneath him. Reddish gold hair sprinkled the fair skin of his chest and pale pink nipples nested hard and inviting within it. He couldn't resist lowering his mouth to one and sucking it hard. Carl's strangled cry of pleasure was all he needed to spurn him on. Raising his head again, he growled, "I want you Carl. I want to bury myself so far within you that you won't be able to tell where you end and I begin. " He grounded his erection hard against Carl who moaned and pressed up into him.

The feel of Van Helsing's cock pressing into his own and the erotic promise of Van Helsing's words were enough to drive Carl to beg. "Please. I want you. I want you to take me. Now… please…whatever you want, just don't make me wait. I need you. I need to feel you in me. Please Van Helsing…"

Hearing the need in Carl's voice and feeling him desperately seeking to bring their bodies even closer together was all Van Helsing needed. He lowered his head for another wild kiss, needing the taste and feel of Carl like he needed oxygen. Then pulling away, he quickly unfastened Carl's jeans and pulled them off his body. For a moment he just looked at the man laid out so willing for him. Carl never had looked so tempting as he did lost in his need and Van Helsing knew that he wanted to keep this sight for himself alone. He pulled the supplies he had grabbed out of his pocket and dropped them on the bed. Hastily shedding his own clothes he laid back down, the feel of skin on skin causing both men to moan deeply. Van Helsing couldn't help but rub against Carl, the feel of their cocks sliding against each other enough to make him moan uncontrollably. He buried his face in the side of Carl's neck and breathed in Carl's scent, his need for him so strong there was no room for anything other then the desire to be one with him. He murmured into Carl's ear, "Can you feel how much I need you? What you do to me? I ache for you. " His hips continued to thrust into Carl's – a preview of what would soon come.

Carl whimpered at Van Helsing's words. He was beyond thought now – all that was left was the hunger, the need to taken. Pressing himself into Van Helsing, he could only plead, needing release so bad it was almost killing him.

Knowing he couldn't wait any longer, Van Helsing trailed kisses and nips down the length of Carl's body until he reached Carl's cock – which was already hard and dripping. Unable to resist, he dragged his tongue up the shaft, tasting Carl for the first time. Carl's long drawn out moan was all the encouragement he needed and he quickly drew Carl's entire length into his mouth. High on the sounds of Carl's pleasure, he worked the entire length of Carl's shaft, first taking it all the way in and then sliding to the tip and working his tongue along the head. Only his hands on his hips kept Carl pinned the bed, so strongly did he try to arch up into the wet heat of Van Helsing's mouth.

Carl's mind was awash in pure pleasure and he could feel his orgasm building rapidly. But as much as he wanted release, he knew he wanted it to be with Van Helsing inside of him. He want to feel him, be connected to him and so with a great struggle he managed to thread his hands into Van Helsing's hair and pull him up. Panting, he managed to gasp out, "Too close. I want you in me. Please Van Helsing. I need to feel you."

Van Helsing's eyes were almost black with lust and they burned like wild fire._ He could no more refuse Carl's plea then he could fly. Their joining was passionate and intense, emotions spiriling as high as their pleasure.__Each one caught up in the sight and feel of the other and when release finally claimed them, it was more powerful then either had experienced before._

Exhausted, Van Helsing slumped down on the bed beside his panting and sated lover. Pulling Carl into his arms he closed his eyes and let his body slowly come down from its high.

Lost in a place of bliss, Carl snuggled into Van Helsing. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he loved this man. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to drift into a light doze.


	20. Chapter 20

**_Once again the boys went in a direction I wasn't expecting. Unfortunately it wasn't in their usual goofy direction. This one probably qualifies for a "Warning - likely to want to throw things at monitor" label._**

Van Helsing awoke to the sun shining and the sound of birds. It was an absolutely beautiful day and for once, he was in perfect accord with it. He looked at the man who lay asleep next to him and couldn't prevent a smile from coming to his lips. Carl looked utterly adorable asleep. He had snuggled into the blankets so that all that could be seen was red-gold hair sticking up in spikes that would do a porcupine proud. Van Helsing had an overwhelming desire to run his fingers through it and smooth it down.

He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so good in the morning. Even the aches and pains of his healing body didn't seem so bad. Carl stirred in his sleep, making a quiet murmuring sound and Van Helsing leaned down and placed a small kiss on the top of Carl's head. This earned another murmur but didn't waken the other man. Van Helsing shook his head fondly and continued to watch Carl.

Last night had been a complete surprise. For all that he had lusted after Carl, he never expected Carl to return that desire. He had been prepared to work off his pent up frustration on some willing but disposable stranger. Carl's out of the blue question has set into motion things that could not be stopped. And now that he knew what it was like, there was no going back. Being with Carl had been more intense then any other person he had been with. Just watching Carl sleep was turning him on and he was tempted to wake the man so that he could take him again. The memory of being buried deep in Carl and the way Carl had responded was making him hard and achy all over again. He wanted Carl in a way he had never wanted anyone before.

That last thought made Van Helsing very uncomfortable. Last night had been absolutely amazing but it had been about sex. Mind-blowing sex yes but no more then that. At least, Carl hadn't indicated it was more then that. What if all it had been for Carl was a chance to blow off tension? Carl had never been in the field before, maybe he slept with Van Helsing because he needed to work off the adrenaline? Maybe he'd wake up and be embarrassed that he had tumbled into bed with a scruffy hunter.

Van Helsing stirred uncomfortably and pulled away slightly from Carl's sleeping form. Had last night meant anything to Carl? Van Helsing thought back over how it all happened and at no time did Carl ever give him any indication that it had been about anything more then mutual desire.

A sick, sinking feeling filled Van Helsing. While last night may have meant nothing to Carl, it had meant something to him. Despite his best defenses, he had developed an attachment to Carl. And now that he had slept with him, it was going to be harder then ever to protect himself. Even now, he wanted to just curl up with the man and try to forget all this. To pretend that Carl wanted him despite his lack of "pedigree" and crazy job. Suddenly restless, he sat up in bed and the abrupt move was enough to finally wake Carl.

Unaware of the turmoil happening next to him, Carl rolled over sleepily and smiled up at Van Helsing. "Hey, you aren't getting up, are you?" He snuggled up and put his head on Van Helsing's thigh.

Desire spiked hard and fast through Van Helsing and it was all he could do not to moan. Carl's head was in a far too suggestible position for Van Helsing's peace of mind. Deciding that the safest thing was to get far away from the very tempting sight of warm and rumpled Carl, he shifted slightly and said "Yeah, I've got some stuff I need to do to close out this mission. " He slide out from under Carl and quickly grabbed his jeans. Pulling them on he finally turned and looked at Carl. That was a big mistake as the disappointed and pouting expression was almost enough to make him forget his resolve and crawl back into bed. It took a great act of will just to stand there.

Carl sighed and said, "Oh, well, I guess you have to get going then." He burrowed back under the blankets trying to hide his disappointment. Then before he could stop himself he said "Maybe we could grab dinner tonight?" Seeing Van Helsing's rather stiff posture, he inwardly cringed. Clearly the man was trying to get away. In an effort to save some dignity for himself he said "Just a post-mission wrap-up kind of thing. " With still no response from Van Helsing he finished up with "Its no big deal. I mean you do this all the time. You don't exactly need to do a wrap-up." Carl felt like a complete pathetic loser and decided that he would cover it up by pretending to go back to sleep. He rolled over and said, "Well, I'm going to sleep some more. Car's yours for whatever you need to do." And with that he pretended to be settling down to sleep.

Van Helsing was feeling wretched. He wanted to have dinner with Carl tonight. Hell, he really wanted to get back into bed and spend the day making love to him. But if he wanted to protect himself, he was going to need to take some time away to put up some defenses. Still, he couldn't stand the fact that he had clearly hurt Carl's feelings so he said "I should be back in time for dinner. I'll bring home some takeaway Chinese and we can talk about the mission then. Now I've really got to run." With that, he turned and fled the room.

Carl heard the door close and sighed deeply. He was incredibly hurt and disappointed that Van Helsing had left. He had rather thought that after last night that there was something there between them but clearly it had just been the Hunter letting off a little steam after the mission. He rolled over on his back and stared up at the ceiling. Last night had been incredible. There had been a closeness that had felt like more then just amazing sex. But judging by Van Helsing's behavior this morning, he had clearly misread things...

Carl grabbed a pillow and threw it against the wall in frustration. How could he have been so stupid? He had fallen into bed with Van Helsing and now he was stuck with an awkward situation that could very well cost him his partnership with Van Helsing. And as tempting as it was to let the man out of the agreement, the fact of the matter was the Hunter needed his help if he was going to do his job in something even remotely resembling safety. Because the thought of him risking life and limb alone was more then he could stand.

Carl sighed and rolled over on his side. He was going to have to figure out some way to convince Van Helsing that he could handle what happened between them without making a scene. The only problem is that Carl was not convinced that he could. It had been hard enough before to pretend that he wasn't affected by the dark haired man's presence. Now that they had slept together, it was far too easy to remember how it felt to kiss the man, to touch and taste him. Could he really convince Van Helsing that he wasn't hoping to repeat the event – with as many variations as possible?

Carl let out cry of frustration and flung himself onto his back. It was hopeless. He'd never convince Van Helsing. _So what if you tell him you are interested in continuing? _said a sneaky little voice in his head. _What if you said you were interested in something nice and casual? A kind of bonus to the working partnership? No strings, no commitments…_

Carl laid still and thought about that. Could that work? He sat up in bed and bit his lip. It was incredibly risky. Van Helsing could put the pieces together and then all hell would break lose. _But what if he doesn't put the pieces together? What if he doesn't and you have him all to yourself? He won't even know you are working on him until he's well and truly hooked…_

Carl shook his head to try and clear it of the insidious voice. It was crazy. It would never work. Van Helsing was far too smart to fall for such a trick. _But if it works… _Carl bit his lip. Van Helsing was not one to trust. He had been hurt far too many times for that. But he had grudgingly let Carl in as a friend, was it that much more to get him to let him in as a lover? Carl snorted, hell yes it was. But still… it was worth a shot. And if he failed, well, its not like he was happy with things as they were…


	21. Chapter 21

**_Another one that qualifies for the "Warning - will want to throw things at monitor" label. Our Hunter, while tough when facing outer demons, is not so tough when facing his inner demons..._**

Van Helsing had fled the house with no actual destination in mind. Realizing he was hungry, he decided to grab something to eat before figuring what to do next. He found a not too frilly restaurant and ordered food. Then he stared out the window and tried to decide what to do next. The problem was that no matter how he tried to make plans, he found his mind circling around to Carl. How good it had felt to touch him, to be deep with in him. And even more, how good it had felt to hold him and wake up to find Carl curled up beside him.

It had been a long time since Van Helsing had spent the night with anyone. His encounters had always been of the casual variety and he had quickly learned that it was better to leave then to face the awkwardness of the morning after. But last night it had never crossed his mind to leave and now he was wishing he had because if he had left, he would not be fighting the battle he was fighting now.

Part of him wanted nothing more then to drive back home, find Carl and carry him back off to bed and keep him there indefinitely. To satisfy him so completely that he would never once think about another person. That Carl had been disappointed that he left this morning only fueled this desire. But if he went back now, he'd never be able to keep Carl out. And he just couldn't risk getting any more attached then he already was. Last night when he thought that gargoyle was going to get Carl, Van Helsing had felt like a knife had been plunged in his gut. It was only years of training that had kept him going.

And now Carl had an even bigger hold over him. How long until he made it all the way in?

Van Helsing slumped lower in his chair. Long ago he had decided that love was a trap, that it gave people a weapon to use against you. He had given it up as a bad deal long ago. But along comes Carl who didn't play by any set of rules that Van Helsing had ever encountered and suddenly he found himself falling hard and fast for a man he had no business even being around. And as much as he wanted to fight it, he wasn't sure this was one he could win.

The waitress brought over his food and smiled at him sympathetically. "Sweetheart, you look like you've got heart trouble. What's the matter? Girl giving you a hard time?"

Van Helsing gave her a thin smile and said "Not exactly"

The waitress, a motherly type said "Well, who ever she is, you've clearly got it bad for her. So have you told her how you feel?"

Van Helsing tried to glare at her but the waitress just ignored it. Finally he growled "No. And I don't intend to. Now if you are quite through grilling me, I'd like to eat my breakfast."

The waitress frowned and said "Excuse me, I was just trying to be nice. Its clear you are pretty upset but if you don't want to talk about it, I'll just leave you alone." And with that she sailed away.

Van Helsing watched her retreating back and then growled in frustration. Just tell her how you feel, she says. Like that makes it all better. Wonder if she'd give the same advice if she knew it was a man they were talking about. He looked over at her and realized that she probably would. She looked like the romantic type.

What would he tell Carl anyway? _Hey Carl, I know this will probably horrify you but the mongrel you took in has developed feelings for you. I know I'm not exactly what your folks would pick but hey, what does that matter?_

He threw down his fork in frustration. This was crazy. He couldn't possibly tell Carl how he felt. Carl was a nice guy; he'd feel terrible about it and try to let him down gently. Which would only make Van Helsing feel even more pathetic then he already did.

Having suddenly lost his appetite, he threw down some cash on the table and left the restaurant. Walking to the car he thought about leaving. Telling Carl that the partnership wasn't working for him and heading back to his former life. Save himself the pain. Only the more the thought about leaving, the more it hurt.

Without thinking, he drove himself to his apartment. Letting himself in, he threw his keys on the table and sank down in a chair. Looking around, he tried to make himself feel like he was home but try as he might, he just couldn't. As much as he hated it to admit, home was now a mausoleum of a house and a geeky blonde genius.

Van Helsing sank his head into his hands. How had it come to this? He had always been so careful to protect himself. Never let anyone close. But then he met Carl and in letting the man patch him up, Carl had slipped through his defenses. And now tantalizingly before him was warmth and a person he could trust. Of Carl's loyalty there was no doubt. What was not so certain was his heart.

Van Helsing snorted bitterly. Carl could have anyone he wanted. Why would he settle for someone as battered and scarred as Van Helsing? What did he have to offer for all of Carl's loyalty and care? And could he bring himself to risk himself like this? If Carl was to turn him away, could he take that?

_Can you take walking away and always having to wonder if he would have chosen you if you gave him the chance?_

That he couldn't immediately say yes shook his already shaky foundation.

He let out a cry of frustration. All of this was driving him mad. Deciding he needed a break from thinking, he got up from his chair and headed to the door. He'd go see a movie – something suitably bloody and violent. Then he'd head home and find out if last night was the start of something… or the end of everything.

Page 3


	22. Chapter 22

**_this chapter is long. Long and somewhat evil. Not my intention but the boys decided to go off on their own and I had to keep up and keep typing._**

In an effort to keep himself from going crazy, Carl decided to catch up on paperwork and other stuff that he let pile up. He still had to close out his projects with Carmico and he had emails to fellow tech people that he had gotten behind on. It wasn't the most exciting thing in the world but it did keep him busy and only checking the clock every ten minutes instead of every five. When he had plowed through all of that and Van Helsing still hadn't come back, he decided to clean the lab. Pulling everything out of the various cabinets and drawers, he began the process of trying to actually create some kind of order in all the stuff that accumulated from the many and varied projects that he worked on.

It was in this state of absolute chaos that Van Helsing found him. Van Helsing has spent a very frustrating day of his own. Having decided to kill time by seeing a movie, he found out that early movies are generally kid friendly. So far from seeing something violent enough to distract him from his turbulent thoughts, he was stuck with a happy, "suitable for the family" adventure flick. Needless to say, it did nothing to keep him from thinking about the man he had spent the night with. So after an hour and a half of "family fun" he was more keyed up from before and still in need of some way to fill time. And while a pub would have suited his mood, he needed to have his wits about him when he faced Carl again.

So in the end, he had spent the time doing some patrolling. While nighttime is when the monsters he hunted came out, daytime does give the chance to ask around about anything unusual happening. Van Helsing had a few contacts on the street that would supply him with information for the right price. Problem was the only weirdness they had to give him was leads on the gargoyles he had just dispatched. So it looked like he was going to have even more time on his hands – just what he didn't need!

So, bored and frustrated Van Helsing finally headed home. Stopping only to pick up the promised Chinese takeaway, he soon found himself sitting in the driveway outside of Carl's house. Looking at the house only emphasized the extreme gap between him and Carl. There was just no way they could ever be together.

Sighing bitterly, he scooped up the takeaway and prepared to face the worst. Heading into the house, he wasn't surprised to hear music coming from Carl's lab. When in doubt, you could always find Carl there. What he hadn't been expecting was the complete and utter disaster area the lab had become. There were piles of equipment -both complete and in pieces, - tools, boxes, glass beakers and a bunch of things Van Helsing couldn't even hazard a guess on. Carl was nowhere in sight though the sounds of crashes and bangs gave Van Helsing a pretty good idea which counter he was behind. Putting the takeaway bags down near the door (one of the few open spaces left), he rounded the counter to see Carl sitting on the floor sorting bits of metal cogs and gears into piles.

His hair was sticking up in the spiky mess it seemed to devolve into if left unattended and he has a smudge of dirt across one cheek. From this vantage point, Van Helsing could see that the vast majority of the floor was covered in other piles of things. He could hardly believe that this much stuff could have come out of just the cabinets. Apparently Carl had decided to deal with his frustrations by doing some kind of insane spring-cleaning.

Shaking his head, he couldn't help but smile. There was something appealing about the disheveled and muttering Carl. His moment of affectionate amusement was cut short , however, when Carl looked up and saw him standing there.

Carl had been sorting through an assortment of gears that had been accumulating, when a sound made him look up. He was startled to see Van Helsing and a smiling Van Helsing at that. But then he remembered the exact nature of the last time he had seen Van Helsing and the smile that had been forming drained away as the hurt and disappointment he had been pushing away came rushing back. He looked back down at the gear in his hand and tried to gather his defenses for what had to come next. Deciding that the first thing he needed to do was keep up appearances, he tossed the gear onto the appropriate pile and said "Sorry about the mess. I decided it was time for me to get organized since I'm closing out my work at Carmico and coming on board with you. " He looked up at Van Helsing with what he hoped was a calm, collected expression and said, "I am coming on board with you, right?"

Van Helsing had to push down his sense of hurt at Carl's casual reaction to seeing him, reminding himself that this was exactly what he had expected Carl to do. Last night had only been a bit of fun – a way to let off some tension and stress. He was just going to play it by ear and follow Carl's lead. And since Carl opened up things but asking about the partnership, that would have to be the place to begin. He had to admit though, he'd have been a whole lot happier to have been starting on an easier topic. After all, the partnership was really going to hinge on how Carl planned on playing the "aftermath". But since he demolished the lab to "prepare" for their working partnership, it would appear that he was indicating he wanted to go forward. Van Helsing just wished he would be equally as forthcoming about his wishes regarding their physical relationship.

Taking a page out of Carl's book, he kept his expression cool and said "It worked pretty well for me so I'm game if you are." He could have sworn he saw a flash of hurt in Carl's eyes but it passed so quickly he couldn't be sure. _Wishful thinking there…. _He leaned carefully against the counter, trying not to topple another pile – this time of notebooks.

Carl had to fight to hang onto his calm expression in the face of Van Helsing's casual comment. _So last night worked well for him? Well, that made one of us then._ Still, he couldn't let his feelings show if he was going to put his plan into action. Van Helsing had to believe that he was completely ok with everything that happened – this morning included. So plastering on a smile (thank heavens for years of training in the trenches of high society) he said, "Good, then all of this work hasn't gone to waste." Then using the cover of getting up to help him martial his thoughts for the next foray, he got stiffly to his feet. He was thankful that he noticed the smell of Chinese food wafting through the lab as it gave him a safe topic to launch into.

"So, it smells like you brought dinner. What do you say we take it out into the kitchen where there are open surfaces? This project turned out to be quite a bit more involved then I thought it would." He looked ruefully around at the completely trashed lab, blushing slightly.

Van Helsing surveyed the damage and said "Did it ever occur to you to do it one cabinet at a time?" He knew the comment was a sniping but he couldn't seem to help it. The weird tension between the two of them made everything feel awkward and stiff. He was hoping that dinner would ease things between them, as he wasn't sure he could handle things the way they were right now. As it was, he just wanted to get out of the lab and somewhere that had suitable distractions during the awkward bits.

Carl glared at the Hunter for a moment and then closed his eyes and counted silently to ten. Now was not the time to get cranky. Opening them he said as calmly as he could "Its not that simple. I had things sorted by project and since I've just ended my involvement in a number of things by ending my contract with Carmico, I have to restructure the lab." Looking around at the large piles everywhere, he found honesty rearing its head as he added "But I'm thinking perhaps it wasn't a project to start so late in the day." Sighing heavily he said "Let's eat and I'll tackle all of this in the morning. I may have some more ideas as we talk about where to go from here." Carl made his way carefully through the stacks as he headed towards the door.

_Where to go from here… that really is the million-dollar question, isn't it?_ thought Van Helsing as he followed Carl out of the lab. He just wished he had an actual answer to it.

Carl led the way to the kitchen figuring that everything they needed was in there. He grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator figuring that they were all part of "things behaving as normal". Setting them down on the table, he turned to grab plates from the cabinets. Van Helsing set the bags of food down on the table and Carl had to admit, as much as he was dreading spending time with Van Helsing, he was incredibly hungry. He had been so busy distracting himself that he had missed lunch. He plunked plates and silverware down and then took a seat. By this point, Van Helsing had pulled all the cartons out of the bag and Carl's stomach gave a rather audible rumble.

Van Helsing quirked an eyebrow at Carl and said "I take it you didn't stop to grab lunch?" He sat down in the other seat and began opening cartons. He couldn't help but think how normal this was – sitting around the kitchen table eating takeaway. If it weren't for the huge landmine of their recent tumble in the sheets, it would be a great way to spend the evening. He thought back on the evening they had hung out and watched a movie and wished there was someway to get back that easy camaraderie they had shared. He sighed and dumped lo mien on his plate. At this point, he'd be thankful for this evening not to turn into some kind of emotional blowup.

Carl blushed at Van Helsing's comment – he hated it when he embarrassed himself like this. Looking through the various options laid out before him, he remembered the last time they had shared dinner at the house. Of course it had first involved Van Helsing carting him out of the lab… Most people would consider this more cordial way much more civilized but Carl rather missed the playfulness of the other. Suddenly Carl heard himself saying "Well, I guess it was a good thing you weren't home earlier or you'd have been carrying me out of the lab again." Carl dropped his eyes to his plate, horrified by what he had just said. That was definitely not an appropriate comment under the circumstances!

Van Helsing looked at Carl in surprise. That was the last thing he thought Carl would bring up at this time. It would appear he was serious about last night being no big deal to him. But did that mean that he wanted to act like it didn't happen or was he open to it happening again? Van Helsing just couldn't be sure and so he decided to play it cautious. "Yeah, well its just as well because I'm not looking to go anywhere near that backbreaker of a couch. Maybe when the new one arrives…" he trailed off, and threw the ball back in Carl's court.

It was Carl's turn to be startled. Van Helsing's response could almost be suggestive. It was certainly a lot more teasing then he had been expecting. He poked at his dumpling while he tried to decide how to respond. He had been hoping to lead them into a more joking place but he had expected that it would take a lot longer to get Van Helsing to relax his guard. Still nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Well, the new couch isn't due to be delivered until sometime next week so I guess you'll have to come up with some other way to get me out the lab." Carl picked up his beer and drank from it – the picture of cool and casual. Mentally though he was crossing his fingers that Van Helsing would take the bait and run with it.

Van Helsing ate to cover his tension. What the hell kind of answer was that? It could be interpreted a couple of ways. Damn it – why couldn't the man just give him clear signals so that he knew where he stood? Van Helsing swallowed and then took a swig of his beer to give himself a bit more time. Ok, so Carl wasn't giving anything away. Guess he'd just have to send out another test balloon.

"I suppose I could carry you somewhere else for the time being. When did they say the couch would arrive?" Van Helsing deliberately studied one of the cartons as if trying to decide if he wanted some. He'd be damned if he would be "out cooled" by a geek.

Carl was practically sweating with tension. This was nerve-wracking! He just couldn't tell if Van Helsing was playing along with the joke or trying to make an offer. If Carl wasn't so afraid of what would happen if he startled the Hunter, he would throw himself across the table and wrestle Van Helsing to the floor.

Now what could he say? He could answer the first part and make a "helpful suggestion" but that would be putting it all on the table and that could backfire spectacularly. Or he could answer the second part of the question and continue the banter. While this kept Carl from exposing himself too much, it also meant this would continue to drag on and Carl wasn't sure he could handle the pressure.

Realizing he had to say something quickly or expose himself anyway he blurted out, "Its due next Wednesday. But if I have to be carted anywhere, can I ask that it not be the chair? That's equally as uncomfortable and has the added detraction of being likely to break under me when you dump me on it." _There, lets see what you make of that Van Helsing!_

Van Helsing almost growled with frustration. How was it that Carl was managing to not quite come out and say anything? Not the chair – what the hell was he supposed to make of that? It could just be banter but it could also be Carl fishing to get carried somewhere else. Somewhere much more enjoyable… But Van Helsing had no way of knowing which one it was. As he looked at Carl from under his lashes, he couldn't get any sense of what the man was thinking. Well, Van Helsing would be damned if he broke first. He could play it just as cool as Carl.

"Fine, not the chair then. Any preferences or should I just put you down on any flat surface?" _Ha, try to dodge that one if you can!_

Carl found himself flushing as the comment conjured up racy images of Carl and Van Helsing engaging in pleasurable activities on the many flat surfaces in his home. _The lab alone …._ Carl hauled his mind back from the abyss and tried to think of a suitable comeback.

Meanwhile, Van Helsing was caught in his own trap. The thought of taking Carl on the nearest flat surface had caused his desire for the man to surge back full force. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and tried to ignore how tight his pants had become.

The moment had stretched out while each man struggled with his thoughts and Carl realized he'd had waited a bit too long to say something. Now anything he said would be taken as thought out. He was scrambling to come up with something non-committal when a phone began to ring.

Van Helsing frowned as his cell phone rang. He had forgotten he had it clipped to his pants. His frown only grew when he saw who was calling him. What the hell did Jinette want at this time of night? Flipping the phone open, he barked "Van Helsing."

Jinette didn't bother with preambles. "What the hell have you been up to, Van Helsing? I just got through reading the report from the clean up crew and there are some major discrepancies. Would you care to tell me about them?" The tone of Jinette's voice made it clear that this was a demand, not a request.

Van Helsing winced. He had forgotten that clean up crews were required to file a report. And it looked like Jinette had definitely spotted something he shouldn't have. And since he was already pissed at Van Helsing for his insubordinate behavior from before, he was now gunning for the Hunter. And Van Helsing had just handed him the perfect weapon. He repressed a sigh and said "I dealt with the problem in the most efficient manner available and with the least amount of possible damage and exposure. I would think that would please you." Not the most diplomatic of responses but he was already on edge from the situation with Carl.

Jinette responded as was expected: he exploded. "No, I am not pleased. The crew tells me that there was evidence of a fight between a man – I'll presume it was you – and several gargoyles. Then they say that the gargoyles clearly left that room to go into another room where they apparently laid down and allowed you to cut off their heads. What the hell happened in there, Van Helsing? And don't lie to me. You did not do this on your own. How the hell did you manage to get the gargoyles down? What did you use on them and where did you get it?" Jinette's accent was getting stronger and stronger as his anger rose as did the volume at which he spoke. "You went outside The Order for help, didn't you? You violated the most basic of all our rules. Damn it Van Helsing, do you have any idea how much damage you have caused? I have put up your screw ups because my predecessor is to blame for having allowed you to slip through the nets and not have you trained when you should have been but cannot be tolerated! Who did you go to and how much does he know? What will it take to buy him his silence? Well, answer me!" yelled Jinette.

Van Helsing felt his own temper rise at Jinette's attack. Snarling back he said "I'd answer if you let me get a word in." Seeing Carl's startled expression, he got up from the chair to put some distance between him and Carl. He couldn't afford to get distracted at this point. Pacing he continued. "Yes, I went outside The Order. I knew I'd need help and since you've made it perfectly clear that I'm not getting any from you, I accepted an offer from an outsider." Jinette began to respond but Van Helsing ruthlessly and loudly cut him off. "Yes, I'm aware that's not what we do but this guy already knew about the gargoyles. They had attached him and I rescued him from them." Van Helsing heard a noise from Carl and turned his shoulder so that he couldn't see the man. Now was not the time to argue semantics with Carl.

Jinette was not impressed. "So because he was aware of them, you thought you'd let a civilian - a completely untrained and unprepared civilian – help out? You know what the procedures are when an non-Order member sees a monster. You deliberately ignored procedure. You think that for some reason you are beyond rules and regulations. Well you are not. You will give me the name of this man you worked with and you will leave the rest to me. And you will get your arse on a plane and present yourself to me for disciplinary action. And believe me, Van Helsing, you had better not delay. You've been protected in the past by people who felt sorry for what happened to you in your childhood but that sympathy may well be exhausted by this latest stunt of yours."

Van Helsing was feeling equal parts anger and protectiveness. He knew how ruthless The Order could get when they thought they were protecting themselves. And while Carl's family name could probably protect him to a point, Van Helsing didn't want to let Jinette and his people anywhere near Carl. Going on the offensive he growled "It will be a cold day in hell before I give you any information. I know what you people are like and I won't let you within a mile of him – is that clearly understood? Don't push me Jinette – I have my limits too."

Jinette screamed "Are you threatening me Van Helsing? Because I would advise against it if I were you. Now you will come to Rome and you tell me what I want to know. Do not think it won't be easy to figure out who this mystery man is. You left your apartment and have been seen driving a very nice car. We will figure out who he is whether you help us or not."

Van Helsing grew cold at Jinette's words. "I won't let you at him Jinette. He helped out when he could have just have easily walked away. You will leave him be." snarled Van Helsing.

Carl was stunned by what he was hearing. It sounded like The Order had somehow figured out his involvement. And from the sounds of what he could hear of the conversation, it sounded like Jinette was not pleased about it. Moreover it looked like he wanted Van Helsing to give him Carl's name and where to reach him. An idea that Van Helsing clearly was willing to fight over. Now the question was whether he was fighting just because he was angry or because he genuinely didn't want The Order to find him. Either way, it didn't seem likely that Van Helsing would be able to make it happen. They hadn't covered their tracks very well since they had counted on The Order's general apathy towards Van Helsing to keep them safe. Since it was clear that The Order was now looking very closely at things, the smartest thing would be for Carl to speak to them and make it clear he had no intentions of telling the world who they were. Especially since if he didn't, Van Helsing was going to go to war with The Order and tough as the Hunter was, Carl knew it wasn't a battle he could win. Getting up he walked over to Van Helsing and said quietly "Give me the phone"

Van Helsing had been about to continue his argument with Jinette when Carl's sudden appearance and quiet statement stopped him dead in his tracks. Was Carl out of his mind? Shaking his head, he covered the phone said "No. I can handle this" He prepared to launch back into the offensive when Carl reached up and grabbed the phone.

"No, you can't." Carl hurried on quickly to forestall Van Helsing's argument. "I appreciate what you are doing but the fact of the matter is that you can't protect me from this. We didn't cover our tracks and it will only be a matter of time before they figure out what's going on. And since we're suppose to be partners in this, I say it's about time we acted like it. I say we go there and we face them down. " Carl's face was the picture of determination.

Van Helsing was torn between admiration and anger. Shaking his head he said "Carl, you don't know what these people are like. You don't just decide to join The Order, they come and find you. They are not going to just let things slide and welcome you with open arms. You don't have to do this – I can keep them from your back. Now give me the phone." He held out his hand for the phone.

Carl wanted to shake the stubborn man before him. Why did he always have to see everything as a battle that he alone could fight? Taking a deep breath to try to calm his own rising anger he said "No Van Helsing, you can't keep them from my back and I don't want you to. I want to get this out in the open so that we don't have to operate with a handicap. If they don't want to accept me then I'll just have to make them. Its not the first time I've had to fight for my position. You forget where I come from. High society is about the most ruthless battleground you can be trained on. Believe me, I can handle Jinette and the rest. Let's just go there and deal with them. No running, no hiding."

"Carl…" Van Helsing began to argue but was stopped by Carl's next action.

Bringing the phone to his ear, he could clearly hear the shrill tone of Jinette snapping out Van Helsing's name. Jinette had apparently caught on that Van Helsing had not been listening. Carl ruthlessly cut across him by barking "Enough. Van Helsing and I are willing to meet you and your superiors to discuss the situation. We will make arrangements and will be available for a negotiation session by tomorrow afternoon. Have a car available to pick us up when we arrive. Details of our flight will be sent via email when it is available. " He hung up the phone without another word and tossed it back to the silent Van Helsing.

Knowing that Van Helsing would not remain silent for long, Carl decided to try and beat a hasty retreat. Giving a grim smile he said "Well, you best go pack while I call my travel agent. Looks like we're going to Rome on the red-eye." He was most of the way to the door when a vise-like grip took his arm. Turning back he found himself looking at an angry and confused Van Helsing.

"Why did you do that? I would have protected you. Why didn't you trust me?" Van Helsing was hurt and angry that Carl hadn't let him do what he had to do.

Carl shook his head and said "It wasn't about trust Van Helsing. I do trust you – with my life as a matter of fact" He gave the last a small smile but it quickly faded in the grim expression on Van Helsing's face. Sighing he continued "Look, I don't want to run away from this. I meant it when I said I wanted to help you. And if that means dealing with Jinette and the rest of The Order, then I'll do it. I'm not afraid of them Van Helsing. I'm not someone they can easily push around. I've got too many connections for that. We've got the upper hand here and I say we take the fight to them. Why let them pick the battleground? If we go to them right now, we have the offensive. All the negotiating power is in our hands. If we wait, then they get a chance to plan out a strategy. " Placing a hand on Van Helsing's shoulder he said "You ask me if I trust you and I do – no question about it. Now I'm asking you to trust me in return. Let me face this with you."

Van Helsing was torn. What Carl was saying made sense. If they went right now, they would have the advantage. But he didn't want Carl to have to face Jinette. The man was a ruthless bastard and he wouldn't hesitate to take Carl apart. He didn't want that to happen. "Carl, this isn't a game. Jinette won't hesitate to hit below the belt. The fact that you helped me out will only make him more eager to take you apart. I can't let you go to Rome with me"

Carl took a deep breath and counted to ten. This man brought being stubborn to a whole new level. Keeping his voice controlled he said "I wasn't asking permission. I AM going with you. As for Jinette, I've dealt with his kind before. They get themselves into a position with a bit of power and then use it to keep anyone from every threatening their little power base. I've been facing them all my life and I know how to take them down. And I'm thinking its just about time someone showed Jinette a taste of his own medicine."

Carl's face had a wolfish grin and Van Helsing hardly recognized the man as the same easygoing geek he had been spending time with. From somewhere deep down came a swell of hope. Maybe they could pull this off. Looking at Carl's determined face, he realized that it didn't matter if he believed they could do it or not. Carl was going to try and the only thing he could do was watch his back and take on anyone who tried to harm him.

Resigning himself to a trip to Headquarters he growled "Fine, let's just get this over with. " He brushed by Carl and headed towards his room to pack.

Page 11


	23. Chapter 23

The trip to the airport was complicated by the need for Van Helsing to stop in a rather questionable neighborhood to arrange for the shipment of his weapons. Apparently part of any check-in at Order Headquarters required a complete weapons inspection. And since the Hunter had more then a few weapons to deal with, they had come perilously close to missing their flight. This had led to some snippy comments, which had only added to the level of tension between the men. As it was they were the last two people to board the plan and getting through international check-in had required some serious charm and the use of his social standing to get them preferred treatment. Carl hated to do it, which is why he made a point of always getting to the airport early. Needless to say the whole process had left him in a bad mood.

Van Helsing meanwhile was in a bad mood of his own. Watching Carl flirt, charm and pull strings had irritated the hell out of him. He hated the reminder of just how much of a class difference there was between them. Even their seats reflected this difference. Carl had booked them into first class and even with their last minute arrival on the plane the stewardesses had still taken the time to insure that they had drinks, blankets and pillows to insure their comfort on their long flight. He scowled at the back of the seat in front of him and wished he had never agreed to let Carl come along. Then at least he'd be traveling at his usual level and not feeling so out of place. He knew that the stewardesses weren't quite sure what to make of him. He'd have been incredibly surprised to know that most of them thought he was a rock star traveling with his handler.

He continued to drink his beer and tried to ignore the man sitting close by. Carl was staring out the window though there was nothing to be seen in the darkness. Shifting slightly in his seat, he leaned back and tried to get some sleep. Usually he could crash anywhere and it was a skill that had served him well over the years. But for once, sleep was not forthcoming. With his eyes closed, it was much easier to pick up the scent that was uniquely Carl and feel the subtle movements of his breathing. Opening his eyes with a disgruntled exhalation, he reached for his small carryon to grab something to read.

Carl looked away from the window when he heard Van Helsing's annoyed huff. Turning to look at the man, he found himself noticing that the man seemed as uncomfortable as a cat in a rocking chair factory. And who could really blame him with what they had ahead of them? Add to the mix that Van Helsing was not used to facing these things with any kind of backup and it was really no surprise that the man was antsy and tense. Carl sighed and pushed away the last of his irritation. They were going to need to present a united front if this was going to work

When Van Helsing straightened back up with a book in his hand, Carl leaned over and said "Hey, sorry about being such a grouch. I'm one of those annoying people who like to get to the airport really early. I'm particularly bad when customs is involved. I'm just not a very relaxed traveler." He gave Van Helsing a wry smile and waited to see how Van Helsing would respond to his overture.

Van Helsing looked at Carl for a moment and then down at his book. Why was it Carl was always so willing to put up with his bad tempers? By all rights, Carl should be wishing he had never agreed to come to Rome with him but instead he was apologizing for being grouchy. It didn't make sense but then again the fact that Carl was even here with him made no sense. Why would anyone willing tangle with Jinette if they didn't have to? He shook his head and then looking at Carl said, "That wasn't so bad. Especially when you figure what we've got waiting for us at the other end." He grimaced and his grip tightened on his book.

Carl nodded "Yeah, it won't be easy but I'm not really worried. We've got the better hand and they know it. They'll threaten and bully but in the end, we've got what they want. "

Van Helsing quirked his eyebrow and said "Do we? I'm not exactly on anyone's good list and I think they'd be just as happy to have an excuse to toss me out." And for all that he complained about how the Order treated him, the thought of losing the only thing he had in his life was truly scary. He didn't know what he would do with himself if he wasn't a Hunter.

Carl could see the thoughts chasing across Van Helsing's face and knew the man was worried about losing his job. He reached across and touched Van Helsing's arm. "They are not going to toss you out. What you did with the gargoyles has never been done before. You took out an entire nest without any kind of negative cost. That's exactly what the Order's mandate is."

Van Helsing frowned. "Yeah, but I did it by going outside The Order which is the biggest infraction you can make. They are going to crucify me and you right alone with me. I should never have let you come." The tension in the Hunter's body had reached a point where the least little thing could set him off.

Carl moved to defuse the situation. "They are not going to crucify anyone." He held up his hand to stave off Van Helsing's retort. "I'm not saying they are not going to TRY but its not going to work. Especially since that argument doesn't hold water. The moment I agreed to help you, I became part of the Order. I'm willing to give my time and expertise to them – which believe me; they couldn't afford if they were trying to recruit me. I'll give them access to things that will insure that they continue as the covert operation that they are so desperate to remain but only if they partner me with you. And since I have the kind of connections to make them front page news around the globe, I don't think they'll tell me no." Carl smiled rather evilly at the last bit.

Van Helsing frowned at the last bit. While what Carl was saying was true, the reminder of Carl's social standing was a bitter pill to swallow. He made him realize that his position within the Order may now be contingent upon Carl. Would this mean that if Carl left him, that the Order would throw him out? He wasn't so sure he liked this turn of events.

Carl saw the frown and was puzzled. Surely Van Helsing wasn't going to argue with this? He waited for some kind of response and finally impatiently snapped "What? What's going on in that head of yours now?"

Van Helsing snapped out of his thoughts at Carl's harsh tone. Seeing the peeved look on his face he said "I'm just thinking that this puts me in a place where my job is dependant on you staying around. Not so sure I like that idea."

Carl felt a pang of hurt at Van Helsing's comment but pushed it aside. He was taking the comment far too personally. Van Helsing was referring to him staying around as his working partner, not his lover. They weren't lovers – not yet anyway. Nor would they likely to be if he couldn't gain Van Helsing's trust. Pinning a calm expression on he replied, "First of all, I'm not going anywhere. I'm committed to making this work and if being on this plane with you doesn't convince you then I've got my work cut out for me. As for your job being dependant on me, I don't think that is going to be the case. Fact of the matter is you've got skills that they can't get just anywhere. And while your methods may not be their favorites, the fact of the matter is, you get things done. If they get rid of you, its not like they can just go on any street corner and find a replacement. Moreover, it must take a lot of time to train a Hunter. " Carl frowned a bit in thought and said, "Where do you find Hunters anyway? Not like you can exactly advertise for them or hire a recruiter."

Van Helsing gave a sour look and said, "You are born a Hunter." He hunched down in his seat and fought down the usual maelstrom of emotions that came up every time he thought about this.

Carl shook his head in confusion. "What do you mean you are born a Hunter? How does anyone know they are cut out to fight evil things? How can you be born a Hunter?"

Van Helsing heaved a dark sigh and said, "You just are. A certain amount of people is born with the skills of a Hunter. You have gifts that make you able to do the job and you have them from the day you are born. Usually the Order knows who you are and comes and gets you so that you can be trained in the skills that you need. I slipped through the cracks so I didn't get my training until I was an adult. That's part of the problem. The rest of the Hunters all trained together – hell, they grew up together. I'm the odd man out and it makes the rest of the group uncomfortable. No one likes to be reminded that they dropped the ball." By now the Hunter's expression was dripping with bitterness and anger.

Carl felt his heart bleed for the poor man. No wonder he had such a tough time in his work! It made Carl more determined then ever to make this work out. He couldn't even imagine what it must have been to discover that you had missed a part of your life that was literally your birthright. He wanted to reach out and hold the man but he knew he'd only be rebuffed. Instead he contented himself with saying "Well, then all the more reason to make things right by you. And we will you know. They'll give in eventually and then we can go back home and get down to more important things. I've been thinking about communication gear. I'm really not a lot of use if I'm too far away to hear you and it would greatly improve our efficiency in the field. I think I may have a lead on someone who makes the stuff the special ops guys use."

Van Helsing shook his head. Special ops equipment? Carl was like a kid in a candy store with all of these electronics. There was no way the Order was going to sign the check for that kind of purchase. Hell, he couldn't even believe that they were going to sign off on Carl's addition to the Order.

"Carl, don't you think you are getting ahead of yourself? We still need to get you on the books. And if we pull that off, I can pretty much guarantee they are not going to authorize that kind of outlay."

Carl just laughed. "We don't need them to authorize it. In fact, I have no intentions of telling them anything about it. They've already proven themselves to be inefficient at best and criminally negligible at worst. Far as I'm concerned, the less they know about what we are doing and using, the better."

Van Helsing looked pointedly at Carl and said "So what, you are just going to fund this out of your own pocket?"

Carl shrugged. "Why not? It's for us and I don't see any reason we shouldn't have the best. And since its going to be keeping us safe, I don't see scrimping as being a wise idea."

Van Helsing looked away. Spoken like someone who has always had money. It made him feel more and more like a mongrel who had been "rescued".

Carl could feel a wall being put between them and wondered what it was about. Surely Van Helsing wasn't upset about him funding their work. It only made sense. Van Helsing provided the necessary hunting skills and took the big risks. It only made sense that Carl would pick up the tab and provide a base for them. Especially since he had the wherewithal to do it.

But as he looked at the dark haired man beside him, he realized that Van Helsing didn't exactly feel the same way. He clearly had his pride around this and Carl was going to have to find some way to sooth it.

"Van Helsing, I didn't mean to come off like some kind of spoiled rich kid. I just meant that I want to see that we are kept as safe as can possible be done. You especially. You do all the really hard work on this team. You take the big risks and face the worst dangers. If I can use the money I have to make things a little less dangerous and make us a bit more comfortable, then I want to do it. Hell, it would be the first time I could actually feel good about having it." He shrugged uncomfortably and looked down in his lap where he was twisting his hands nervously.

Van Helsing looked surprised at Carl's comments. After watching Carl ease their way onto their plane, he would have said Carl rather enjoyed the benefits of his station. But here he was saying that he didn't really feel good about his money. That didn't make sense. Look at how he had lavishly spent money to get them to Rome and the meeting with the Order? But then again, this whole trip was really for his benefit, not Carl's and Carl had already shown how generous he could be when it came to other people.

Thinking back over what he knew of Carl he realized that Carl really didn't live a luxurious lifestyle. OK, yes, he had the big house but it was because he inherited it, not because that was his preference. He hadn't even done any kind of redecorating. Other then the expensive home entertainment system, the house was empty of the kinds of possessions you would expect of someone who was rich and privileged. Carl even worked for a living when he could just as easily be spending his days as a pampered jet setter. Van Helsing glanced over at Carl and had to stifle a laugh. Someone less likely to be a jet setter, he had yet to meet.

Still, that made him pause. Yes, Carl certainly had the money and name to be living the high life. And yet, he lived quietly alone and worked for a living. Given the chance to run away from a dangerous situation, he not only stayed but also committed to continuing to help him. Carl was not a spoiled rich boy nor was he a snob. And for some reason, Carl actually seemed to like him.

Once again he felt that strange, disorienting feeling as his world seemed to shift underneath him. He had spent his life fighting for a place to belong. Now it seemed like maybe he had finally found it. The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying. Could he really trust this? Or would it get pulled out from under him like everything else in his life?

Carl could feel Van Helsing's gaze on him and forced himself to look up. What he saw surprised him. He saw a mix of wonder, fear and pain, each moving so swiftly across Van Helsing's face it was almost impossible to identify them. He wanted to reach up and touch Van Helsing's face – reassure him that it would be ok. That he wasn't going to be alone, that Carl wasn't going to leave him. But he was afraid that Van Helsing would push him away and so he kept his hands clenched tightly in his lap. But he did offer a gentle smile and waited patiently for Van Helsing to make the next move.

At Carl's smile, Van Helsing felt a smile of his own form. In this moment, it was so easy to believe it could all work out. Not just with the Order but between them as well. It had been a long time since he had been hopeful for anything. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff and preparing to jump off.

"Carl…" he started to say but then the pilot came on over the speakers and informed the passengers that it was now safe to walk about the cabin. Van Helsing shrugged. It was probably just as well. This was hardly the time or place for a conversation about their future relationship. After all, first they had to survive Jinette.

Carl had been waiting for Van Helsing's comment and wanted to curse the pilot's ill-timing. He hoped that Van Helsing would continue but it appeared that whatever the Hunter had been about to say, he had changed his mind about it. Carl wanted to sulk in frustration but this was scarcely the place for such behavior. So, pinning on a smile he said "Well, looks like we can get comfortable" and unfastened his seatbelt. He scooted around in his seat until he found just the right position.

Van Helsing wanted to laugh as he watched Carl's imitation of a cat looking for the perfect resting place but a languid stretch suddenly made Van Helsing wonder if he could get Carl to purr if he rubbed his tummy. That thought had Van Helsing doing a bit of squirming around himself but it was not so easy for him to get comfortable.

Deciding that the best defense would be to pretend not to be aware of the man sitting next to him, he picked up his book and tried to get into it. It was not terribly successful as each shift from Carl drew his awareness away from the book. Worse still, his body was remembering that it was just about this time last night that he had been making love to Carl. That thought alone was making concentration nigh on impossible. He was actually pretty grateful when Carl dropped off to sleep and he didn't have to pretend to be reading anymore.

Dropping the book into his lap, he looked over at the sleeping man. How did everything get so out of hand so quickly? They were never supposed to have gotten involved with each other and yet here they were. And frankly, he had no idea what to do next. He was feeling things he never thought he would feel. He felt desire yes but it was so much more then that. Holding Carl as he fell asleep had been heaven and waking up to him had made him happier then he had ever been – at least until his brain kicked in. But even years of carefully built defensiveness were not enough to combat his feelings for Carl. Just looking at the man, his fingers itched to trace the lines of Carl's face – to touch and be in contact with him. He just needed to feel the man and know he was there. He had never felt that way with anyone before. This desire to just be in their presence.

Sighing, he turned away. He didn't know what to do next but he was going to have to figure it out somehow. Because he knew that even if he walked away right now, he would never really be free. He had fallen for Carl and there was nothing to do be done but try and see this through. He just hoped that he could find a way to win Carl over because he couldn't go on with things the way they were.

The stewardess came by with blankets and he took two from her. Settling the first one over Carl's sleeping form, he traced the line of his jaw. Carl murmured in his sleep but didn't waken. The picture brought a small smile to Van Helsing's face.

He settled down in his own seat and closed his eyes to get some sleep. There was nothing to be done about Carl and him now and he was going to need his wits about him for the coming battle with Jinette. Because no matter how anything else turned out on this trip, he was determined that he would protect Carl from Jinette. He drifted off to sleep with that pledge ringing through his head.


	24. Chapter 24

Carl woke up feeling stiff and slightly disoriented. It was seeing the dark haired man sitting next to him that reminded him of where he was and why he was there. He stretched to ease the kinks and then settled himself more comfortably in his seat. Inevitably, his eyes were drawn to his traveling companion. In sleep he seemed so peaceful and Carl had an overwhelming desire to touch him, to trace the lines of his face and brush his fingers though the dark strands of hair that were falling about Van Helsing's face.

He thought about what Van Helsing had told him. That he had been born into the life of a Hunter but that he had not been taken in by the Order as he was supposed to have been. He wondered what had gone wrong and what had happened to Van Helsing instead of his rightful destiny. He suspected it was not good and that a lot of Van Helsing's distrust came from that. The man stirred restlessly in his sleep and Carl found himself reaching out to sooth him. He lightly touched the man's shoulder and the muttering ceased and the man settled once more into stillness.

Carl sighed. If only the man was so easy to soothe in waking life. But then again, with the life the man led, its not surprising he was so defensive and that he railed against the world sometimes. He had not been done very well by. The life he should have had – respected, with friends and allies – it dangled always out of reach. _Until now _thought Carl fiercely. He briefly brushed Van Helsing's hair with gentle fingers, his eyes full of pain for this man who had so quickly become a necessary part of his life.

Carl had always railed against his own life. Had hated the society name he felt shackled him to a life he never wanted. But looking at Van Helsing, he realized how petty his complaints had been. The society parties and obligations his family had pushed on him were nuisances at worst. He could chose to walk away from them and create a life for himself. Van Helsing never had that choice. Fate had branded him from the time he was born. How scary it must it have been to have abilities and differences that you couldn't explain to yourself? And then to find out that you shouldn't have had to go through all that but that some secretive, bureaucratic organization screwed up royally?

He knew what it was like to be on the outside of something and know that you will never fit in. But in his case, he had never wanted to. Van Helsing did want it and moreover, he deserved to have it. He risked his life for people who treated him like was some kind of unfortunate connection that had to be tolerated but was never truly accepted or even really acknowledged. The dirty little family secret. It made Carl burn to think of how this man was treated. Well, when they got to Rome, he would see that all that changed. Even if Van Helsing never accepted Carl as more then a working partner, he would see that Van Helsing finally got the respect he deserved. He could do no less for this man he had come to love.

Almost as if he was sensing the disturbed and angry feelings coming from his travel companion, Van Helsing began to shift restlessly. Carl immediately moved to sooth him again, murmuring soft words of comfort. The Hunter seemed to settle again but not so deeply. The real world was beginning to seep into his consciousness and with it the instinctual need to protect himself.

Carl pulled back into his seat, unwilling to get caught by Van Helsing should he suddenly wake up. He saw the stewardess coming around to tell the passengers that they would be landing soon and Carl decided that to prevent some kind of incident, he would wake up Van Helsing himself. He cautiously reached a hand out to Van Helsing's shoulder and said softly, "Van Helsing. Wake up, we'll be landing soon."

Van Helsing felt the hand on his shoulder and woke up immediately, his senses at full alert, searching for danger. But he relaxed a bit when he realized it was just Carl waking him to tell him that the plane was landing. Still, he should be pulling himself together since they would be facing Jinette soon enough. Giving Carl a small nod, he pulled off the blanket and straightened himself up in his seat. He waited for the stewardess to pass them and then stood in the aisle and stretched the stiffness out of his body.

Carl found himself caught by the picture of Van Helsing stretching. The strong body moved and flexed with a gracefulness of a jungle cat and Carl could only sit and stare helplessly. God, how badly he wanted to reach out and run his hands over the hard muscles and sleek lines of Van Helsing's body. His mouth was practically watering…

Van Helsing finished stretching and turned to sit back down. He could almost swear he saw Carl watching him but when he turned completely to face him Carl seemed engrossed in trying to find something in his carry on bag. _Christ Van Helsing, you are clutching at straws now! _He settled back down in his seat and buckled up for the landing.

Carl kept his head down and pretending to be looking for something in his bag. That had been damn close! Van Helsing almost caught Carl checking him out. But the again, would that really have been a terrible thing? He was supposed to be planting the seed of a "no strings" relationship between them. Maybe he should have taken advantage of the moment? Damn! Now there wasn't likely to be another opportunity until after they got through with Jinette and by then, he doubted Van Helsing would be in much of a mood for such things. Irritated, Carl stuffed his bag back under the seat and sat back. He had no idea that he was pouting.

Van Helsing turned to talk to Carl about their strategy for the upcoming meeting and saw the pout. While he wasn't sure what it was that had caused it, he knew exactly what it caused in him. He licked his lips and wished that they were not on a plane and that things between them were better. Because right now he wanted to do nothing more then nibble on that pouting lower lip until Carl moaned. God, when had he lost control of his libido? He had never been so easily turned on by such small things. But then again, no one had ever been able to get through his guard the way Carl did.

The plane began its descent and he tried to clear his mind. Once on the ground, he would have to be prepared as there would be members of the Order waiting for them at the gate. They would need to present a strong and united front before they even got in front of Jinette and the others. He practiced the deep breathing techniques he had learned and tried to find the still place in his mind.

Carl had been lost in his rather petulant thoughts when the shift in Van Helsing's breathing caused him to snap back to the present. Looking over at the man, he could see him trying to relax and realized that he was clearly worried about their upcoming meeting with the Order. Reaching a hand out, he placed it on Van Helsing's. "It's going to be alright, you know. Just stick with me and we'll be fine." He decided to get a little daring and added a very slight caress with his thumb. It felt good but it would have felt even better if he could actual hold Van Helsing's hand…

He had been going steadily deeper, when the touch to his hand snapped him back. He didn't open his eyes as Carl tried to reassure him. Instead his focus was on the touch of Carl's hand on his own. When Carl began to rub his thumb across his hand, it was all he could do to keep his eyes closed. More then anything, he wanted to bring Carl's hand to his lips and plant a kiss on it. Maybe do a bit more to it…

The whine of the plane's engines as it continued its decent snapped Van Helsing's mind out of its train of thought. This was NOT the time to get distracted, however enjoyable that distraction would prove. When they had dealt with Jinette, maybe then he could see about a repeat of last night's activities. Just the thought of it caused a stirring in Van Helsing's cock and he had to think of the least arousing images he could come up with to calm it. _Later_

Carl saw the fact that Van Helsing didn't pull away at his touch a positive sign. It gave him hope that maybe it wouldn't be too tough a sell to get Van Helsing to take him up on an offer of a physical relationship. And once Carl got him to agree that level… well, then it would just be a matter of wearing down his defenses around his heart. Carl had to fight back a smile. It was the first time he felt really hopeful of success. He couldn't wait to get this meeting over with Jinette so he could put his plans into action. Humm, maybe he should talk Van Helsing into a "victory celebration". A little Italian vino, a little flirting…

The rest of the landing was taken up by very pleasant daydreams of Van Helsing tossing him over his shoulder and carting him off to bed where they made love for hours. He didn't even notice they had taxied to a stop until Van Helsing called his name sharply. Dazed, he gave Van Helsing a confused look and said, "Excuse me?"

Van Helsing had been caught up in his own thoughts during the final approach and so did not turn to look at Carl until the announcement had been made that they were free to leave the plane. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to give Carl some final advice about dealing with Jinette when he saw Carl's face.

Carl's eyes were closed and his lips were slightly parted. His breathing was coming in slight pants and when a pink tongue came out and wet those inviting lips, it was all Van Helsing could do not to groan. He was definitely going to have to do something about this as soon as they were done with Jinette. Otherwise he was going to go stark raving mad!

Speaking more sharply then he intended to, he called Carl's name, trying to get his attention. When Carl gave him a muddled look of incomprehension, he closed his eyes for a moment and counted to ten to calm himself. It wasn't really Carl's fault that Van Helsing's libido had gotten completely out of hand.

Trying to control his voice he said carefully. "We're here. Now don't forget, there will be Order members waiting for us at the gate. So once we clear the plane, we need to be watching what we say and what we do. No point in giving them any kind of ammunition. " He stood and began to pull their bags from the overhead compartment. Handing Carl's to him, he made his way up the aisle first, his body language showing that he had moved into "Hunter" mode. Eyes taking in everything around them, sizing it up for potential danger.

When Carl had first seen him, that night in the alley, he had seemed lethal, dangerous. Now that he had come to know more about him, he found it reassuring, safe. _And kinda sexy_ came a sly voice in his head. Carl could only nod to himself. It was sexy the way he seemed to prowl like a jungle cat. Made Carl want to be pounced on. A wash of heat flooded over him and he pulled himself away from that dangerous train of thought. _Not now. Right now you have to concentrate on the Order and Jinette. Later you can be kitty bait._ He giggled but quickly bit it back when Van Helsing looked over his shoulder and gave him an odd look. Pinning on what he hoped was a serious expression he followed Van Helsing out into the terminal.

As expected, there were two men from the Order waiting for them. Van Helsing indicated who they were by a curt head gesture but said nothing. He continued walking and let them come to him. Carl watched this with a certain grim amusement. _Let the power games begin…_

When the two intercepted their path, there was no pretense of camaraderie. The older of the two merely gave a sharp nod and barked "Van Helsing" in a slightly accented voice. His cold, sharp eyes raked over Carl, sizing him up and Carl found himself straightening up and glaring back.

Van Helsing moved to place himself slightly in front of Carl. "Let's get this show on the road Torez. " His body language was screaming warning signs and Torez was smart enough to realize his intention to intimidate Carl would likely end with Van Helsing losing his legendary temper. And since discretion was the name of the game, he merely gestured to his companion and began to lead them out of the terminal.

Carl looked at Van Helsing's set face and vowed that when the dust settled, things would be very different between Van Helsing and the Order. He hated the way they so casually mistreated him. It was no wonder Van Helsing had so much trouble accepting Carl's offers of friendship and respect. How could he when the people who were suppose to appreciate him for what he was clearly had no use for him? _Well, let's see how they like being on the receiving end for a change! _

Van Helsing was extremely tense as they made their way through the crowds. He didn't like bringing Carl into striking distance of the Order, regardless of how confident Carl was of his social status providing him protection. Jinette didn't like people who didn't follow his rules and he especially hated being challenged and they were about to do both. When the reached the car, he made a point of insisting that Carl and he rode together in the back seat. He knew what they were up to in trying to split them up and he wasn't about to allow them to use the "divide and conquer" routine against them.

Carl hadn't planned to make a fuss at this point, being content to wait until he was in front of Jinette to really shake things up but since it seemed so important to Van Helsing, he went along with it. The Hunter was already on edge and he didn't want to add to his burdens. He watched carefully and when Torez, who was in the passenger seat, was speaking with the driver, he touched Van Helsing's thigh and gave him a quick smile. He knew that it wouldn't do much to calm the man but he at least wanted to let Van Helsing know that he was holding up just fine under the Order's rather obvious intimidation tactics. He quickly moved away again to keep Torez from seeing anything.

Turning to look out the window, he couldn't help but smile to himself. They really were underestimating him if they thought that sending a couple of big guys would be enough to intimidate him. High society was some of the most brutal, cut throat arenas you could walk in. It would take a hell of a lot more then this to make him start to sweat. Deciding it was time to take a few pot shots of his own, he began to lightly hum, his expression mildly amused. He knew it would annoy the hell out of their "escorts" and show that he wasn't exactly cracking under their pressure.

Van Helsing had been running plans in his head when he heard Carl begin humming. Glancing over at him, he saw Carl casually staring out the window, looking amused. Flicking a glance to the front seat, he could see Torez looking particularly peeved and realized exactly what Carl was doing. Biting back a smile, he turned and looked back out his own window. _Score one for Carl_

By the time they had reached Order Headquarters, Torez looked ready to climb the walls and Van Helsing was feeling a lot better about all of this. Having Carl with him shifted the dynamics of things and for the first time he could really believe that they could actually pull this off. While he was too cagey to let it show, internally he was feeling a lot less wound up. He was even able to ignore the curious looks of people who were coming out to see the infamous Van Helsing.

Carl, meanwhile was looking around him and observing everything. After all, how often did you get to visit a super-secret organization's headquarters? But after a few minutes, he had to admit he was rather disappointed. It pretty much reminded him of Carmico's main office. But then again, in some ways, they really weren't all that different. Middle management is middle management whether you are in the corporate world or the world of monster hunting. Sighing to himself, he turned his attention back to Van Helsing and their escort.

They were finally ushered into a small meeting room where they were told to wait. Carl smiled sweetly and said, "I'd love a cup of coffee. Cream, two sugars." He then turned his back on the man and settled into a chair as if he had no doubts whatsoever that his request would be taken care of. Torez's face nearly turned purple before he turned and stalked out of the room.

Van Helsing chuckled and said "Well, you didn't make a friend in Torez. Not that it's any loss. Guy is a prick. But I wish I had a camera when you told him to run along and fetch you some coffee." Van Helsing was grinning and his body was relaxed as he lounged with his feet up on the table.

Carl grinned himself. He loved to see Van Helsing so at ease – especially here. It made him more determined then ever to ensure that all future visits to headquarters would be just as easy. Also that they would always involve Carl. No way he was letting him go anywhere without him. Leaning back in his own chair he said, "Well, I'd estimate we've got about 10 minutes to kill before Jinette and friends make their appearance. Care for a game of cards?"

Page 7


	25. Chapter 25

**_And now for the showdown that we've all been waiting for... me especially. Want to thank everyone who has given me lots of encouragement, feedback and support. It means a lot! And to Kydasam - you will be happy to know that you beat me to the punch. Up until now, we've been seeing the Order through Van Helsing's eyes which does make it look like the place is a snake pit.Now we get to see it from a bit less... bitter perspective :)_**

Jinette had carefully calculated the amount of time it would take to start making the two men sweat and Van Helsing to lose his cool. Therefore he was very displeased to sweep into the conference room to discover that a high stake game of Pitch was being played and that the men didn't even look up when he entered.

"Trump is spades. How many do you want?" questioned Carl who had folded his own cards and was holding the deck.

Jinette almost exploded. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Carl merely dropped the deck of cards on the table. "Cleaning house at Pitch." He swept the cards together and turned to Jinette. "Now that you are here, we can finalize the working arrangements between us and the Order."

Jinette was practically purple "Finalize? Don't you think you are getting ahead of yourself?"

Carl looked at him blandly and said "No. Frankly, the only reason I bothered to make the trip was that I wanted to get a chance to look at your archives and see what I want to have copied and sent to me. Oh and look at your lab though I'm quite certain there is nothing there I'll be interested." He looked vaguely bored at the prospect.

Jinette started to open his mouth to speak but Carl kept going smoothly. "Now, there is no point in discussing compensation. Whatever money you offer me will be a joke so we won't waste time. Now as far as our home base, since we are covering the continental United States, we need to have a base there that will have a lab and suitable testing and training facilities. And since I have seen what you woefully provided for Van Helsing in the past, I will be seeing to this in the future. Instead you will transfer those funds to our expenses budget. Not that it will cover much but at least you will be making a token gesture…"

Jinette leaped up from his chair and shouted, "Just who the hell do you think you are? You think you can dictate terms to US?"

Carl looked at him calmly and said, "No, I know I can dictate the terms." He didn't get up but he shifted so that he was sitting straight and his hard eyes never wavered from Jinette's "Now let me make this abundantly clear. You have no leg to stand on. Should I chose so, I could make you the front-page news of every major media outlet on the face of the planet. Moreover, should anything happen to myself or Van Helsing, you will also be exposed." His eyes as frosty as his tone, he continued on. "From now on, your part in our work will be limited to assigning the case and sending us the files on it. That's it. We have complete autonomy on all our cases and will use our own discretion as to methods. Should we make a request for support, you will assign us the best people you have and they will answer directly to us. This is not open for debate."

Carl stood up and looking around the table said "Gentlemen. You have heard the terms of the arrangements. Now if you will excuse us, it was a long flight and we were deprived the chance to wash away the dirt of our travels." Without a backwards glance – not even to see if Van Helsing was following – he swept out of the room.

Van Helsing had sat back and stayed the hell out of the way as Carl calmly yet thoroughly demolished Jinette. He had never seen Carl use his power in this way before and was more then a little weird. This was not the nice, geeky Carl who he rescued from the alleyway. Still, there was an enormous satisfaction to be had from seeing Jinette so completely put down. Especially since Carl had done it without so much as raising his voice. Oh yeah, this was one he'd be remembering for a very long time.

When they were out of hearing of the conference room, Van Helsing caught Carl's arm and said "That was absolutely brilliant! I can't believe how totally you shut Jinette down! You are amazing you know that? Absolutely amazing!" He was grinning ear to ear and practically bouncing with excitement.

Carl returned the grin and said "Well, I had a lot of inspiration. I was sick to death of the way that guy treated you and I wanted him to know just how it feels. And I think you will find that in the future, we'll probably be getting our assignments from one of the other people. Jinette won't want to have to acknowledge that he lost. Which is fine with me frankly. Guy is a prick!" He was about to continue on when a man came walking up the hall toward them.

"Ah Van Helsing. I was told you would be coming in. I'm guessing that you are done with Jinette?" The man stood before the two of them cutting off their retreat.

Van Helsing smirked and said "Yeah Doc, you could say that." He lounged against the wall, looking quite pleased with himself.

The doctor just shook his head. "His blood pressure is going to be through the roof again, isn't it? You know, I really don't need you drumming up business for me. Especially since you, yourself should be providing me with endless amusement by finally coming down to MedLab and having your physical. Your VERY overdue physical…"

Van Helsing just rolled his eyes. "Come on, surely it hasn't been that long."

The doctor merely crossed his arms over his chest and said "Two years. Now are you going to come along quietly or do I have to get ugly."

Carl became uneasy with that last statement and moved forward to stand beside Van Helsing. "Surely there is no need to resort to anything nasty. After all, we've only just arrived. I would think you could wait at least until we've had a chance to settle in."

The doctor gave Carl a withering look and said "I let him get away now, and he climbs out a window and makes his escape." Carl started to open his mouth to protest and the doctor cut him off "I wasn't speaking metaphorically. Last time he literally snuck out a third story window and made a break for it. There's no way I'm letting him out of my sight this time."

Carl turned to look at Van Helsing who had the good grace to look embarrassed. Turning back to the doctor he said, "Well, I guess then you'd best keep him where you can see him. I'll just head back to my room, wherever that is, and you can send him to me when you are done with him."

The doctor's face never shifted but Carl could see his eyes twinkling with amusement. "You'll be in the guest building. Go down to the first floor and take the door out the back. Follow the path until you see a two story building with a lot of rose bushes out front. Someone there can tell you what room you've been assigned." With that he grabbed Van Helsing's arm again and began dragging him away saying "Now you will come with me and be a good little boy and there will be a lollipop for you at the end."

Carl laughed and got a nasty look from Van Helsing but he noticed that for all the disgruntled looks, Van Helsing wasn't putting up a fuss. Apparently he and the doctor had an OK relationship for all that he avoided his routine physicals.

Still laughing, Carl made his way out down to the first floor and out the door. The grounds of Order Headquarters were meticulously taken care off and he debated about wandering them for a while. In the end, he decided against it since he didn't know how long Van Helsing might be _Especially if he climbs out the window again…_ Carl started laughing again – the image really was too funny. Van Helsing, the big, bad Hunter running away from a doctor.

So instead of exploring, he continued on his way to the guest building. As he came around a large hedge, he was surprised to see a beautiful stone building flanked by rose bushes of the most decadent colors. He smiled as he made his way up the front steps and let himself in. The interior was as beautiful as the outside and he looked around at paintings and statuary – surprised that so much attention had been put into this space. He jumped slightly when an accented voice came from behind him. He spun around and found himself looking at a short man of indeterminate years.

"You must be Van Helsing's guest. I was told you would be arriving today. Because he is a man of great privacy, I have actually arranged for the two of you to use the old caretaker's cottage. It is not very large but it is very secluded. It has been stocked with some basic supplies but you can always use the onsite cafeteria if you do not wish to cook for yourself. I have already seen to your bags so if you just follow me, I will show you to your quarters."

Carl smiled and followed the man. So they were to be given their own space, were they? While the intent may have been to keep them away from the rest of the Order, Carl wasn't going to complain. Privacy worked very well for his future plans and having their own kitchen only made things better. Yes, he rather liked this latest development.

The cottage proved to be very charming. It had a small porch and a very pretty garden and Carl was absolutely delighted. The inside proved just as delightful. The common room had a fireplace, a comfy couch and chair and bookshelves full of books. The kitchen was small but well stocked, including a bottle of wine, which Carl was sure, had not been approved by Jinette. But best of all was the main bedroom with its huge four-poster bed. Carl immediately had all sorts of very naughty thoughts when he saw it!

His guide had clearly seen his eyes light up but misinterpreted the reason. "You must be very tired so I shall leave you to get some rest." He gave a slight bow of the head and made his way out of the room. Carl followed him out and with a big smile said "Thank you so much for arranging this. I'm sure Van Helsing will be most pleased."

The man merely nodded his head and said "He is a good man whom destiny has not been kind to. I do what I can, little though it is." He gave another small nod of the head and left.

Carl looked around and smiled. Oh yes, this was just perfect for his plans. He was even tempted to offer to cook something just to keep them here for the evening. Could light a fire and sit in front of it with the wine… He drifted over to the couch and settled on it, his mind playing out scene after scene of just what they could do here in their little cottage…

A knock on the door almost caused Carl to launch himself across the room. Gathering his flustered thoughts, he made his way over to the door and opened it. Outside was a tall, thin man with a glasses and a receding hairline who was looking a bit nervous. Carl cleared his throat and said "Excuse me, can I help you?"

The man fidgeted a bit and finally said in a rush, "I hate to be a bother but I just heard that Van Helsing has a new partner and well… he's never had one before… being a bit of a lone wolf and all… not that there's anything wrong with that or anything. Guy's one of the best and all. Can't really fault his methods or anything…" The torrent of words stopped as the man finally ran out of breath.

Carl looked slightly bemused and said "Not to be rude but who are you and what do you want?" He remained blocking the doorway. While the guy certainly seemed harmless enough, he wasn't going to take any chances.

The guy looked completely apologetic. "My god, where are my manners. I'm Talbot. Gerald Talbot. My friends generally call me Ger." He stuck out his hand nervously and then blushed and said "Not that I'm presuming or anything. You can call me whatever you like. Van Helsing calls me Talbot when he calls me anything at all." He ducked his head again, looking like an apologetic stork.

Carl stifled a chuckle as he knew what it was like to be in Gerald's shoes. He had more then a few of his own awkward social moments to pick on a fellow geek in pain. "Gerald is fine. So what exactly do you do around here? I'll be honest, I don't know much about the day to day operations." He stepped away from the door and gestured for Gerald to enter.

Gerald entered gratefully, like a puppy who has been allowed to come up on the couch. " I work in the weapons lab. That's actually why I'm here. Van Helsing's weapons just arrived and he's pretty particular about how we handle them. I came here to see if he had time to come and tell us what's going on with them." Gerald looked around the room surreptitiously as if Van Helsing might be lurking in a corner somewhere.

Carl watched Gerald look for Van Helsing and had to tamp down the annoyance that bubbled up. Why was everyone so afraid of Van Helsing? The guy wasn't that bad. While he tried to keep his face neutral, a small amount of his annoyance crept into his voice. "Van Helsing is having his regular physical. I'm not expecting him back for a while."

Gerald looked disappointed for a moment and then said quietly. "Do you think I should wait for him to come down to the lab or could you maybe tell us what might need fixing? Normally we do a full inspection when weapons come in but Van Helsing usually doesn't stay around that long." Again there was a fleeting look of disappointment.

Carl's eyebrow rose as he listened to Gerald. The guy was disappointed that Van Helsing wasn't available, not glad. In fact, he'd be willing to bet that the technician had a bit of a hero worship thing going on towards Van Helsing. Suddenly feeling much more charitable towards the guy, he said "Actually, there probably isn't a lot that needs fixing. I've been working on his main weapons and will be maintaining them all going forward. That's really why I'm on the team – to supply technical support. " Trying to be tactful he said "I realize you guys are probably severely underfunded and staffed so it will just make the whole thing run much more smoothly." He gave Gerald a sympathetic smile and hoped he hadn't hurt the guy's feelings. He rather liked him.

Gerald smiled ruefully and said "Yeah. The Order isn't really all the big on R&D. If it worked in the Middle Ages, there's no reason it can't work now." He shook his head and said "We do what we can but none of us are really research designers."

Carl smiled and said "Well, I am and since I'm not restricted to what the Order will approve and pay for, I think we can finally start dragging them into the modern age." He winked and gave the man a conspiring grin.

Gerald returned the grin and said "Hey, since Van Helsing is going to be tied up for a while, how about you come down to the lab and see what we've been doing. I'd love any feedback or suggestions you can give us. And you can run interference with Van Helsing when he finds out we unpacked his weapons already. " Gerald gave a mock shudder and said "Man is touchy when it comes to his stuff. I mean… ok, his life does depend on them but really, we're only trying to help." He got up as he spoke and made his way to the door.

Carl gave him a sympathetic look, following him to the door said "Yeah, he can be a bit grouchy. But I'm sure he doesn't really mean it. Its just that this place sets him on edge and who can blame him? " Carl closed the door behind them and then walked along side Gerald as he led him back towards the building. "Though I think should change a bit now that we've set some new ground rules." He smiled rather wolfishly as he remembered the recent meeting with Jinette.

Gerald just looked at Carl questioningly and said "New ground rules? I don't think I've ever seen anyone come out of a meeting with Jinette who wasn't looking battered and counting all their fingers and toes. If you managed to negotiate anything positive with him then you've done better then anyone else who's come up against him." His look was now more then a bit admiring.

Carl tried to appear modest as he said "Well, I had a bit more leverage then most people. But it works to their advantage too as they'll get the advantages of any new designs or improvements I make which will let them be even more efficient and secretive." Gerald nodded "Yeah, heaven forbid we aren't completely secretive!"

They had reached the main building but instead of heading in, they skirted around the side of the building. Gerald led him to a side door that immediately led down into the basement. He shrugged apologetically and said "They stuffed us in the basement because we're considered at the bottom of the pecking order. Which is pretty stupid since the Hunters wouldn't have anything to hunt with if it weren't for us." His face has a sort of resigned bitterness to it.

Carl nodded "Yeah, that's usually the way. They find us hard to talk to so they stuff us in the darkest corner then can find and hope we don't bother them." They reached the lab and Carl saw three or four other technicians scattered about the room working on various projects. They all looked up when Gerald came in.

"Hey everyone, this is Carl. He's Van Helsing's new partner and a techie like us. He's going to be maintaining Van's equipment from now on."

An older gentleman who looked of Eastern European decent, hurried over with one of the tojos exclaiming "Are you the one responsible for the modifications on this? Its absolutely amazing. You've increased the rotation ratio by a magnitude of 5. This could easily handle monsters up to Class Two and maybe even some Class Twos. And you did it without adding any weight whatsoever. Its incredible. Gerald, look at this," he said as he triggered the tojo. The blade spun into motion with a deadly whine and Gerarld looked absolutely blown away.

"Damn, that's incredible! You are right, I'd bet it would easily handle a Class Three or Four monster. I'd love to see it up against a charga demon. I bet it would cut through it like a hot knife through butter." He turned to Carl with an eager expression and said "I don't suppose you've made any other modifications to any of his other weapons?" He looked like a puppy begging for a treat.

Carl smiled and said "Well, I did do some work on the firing mechanism of the crossbow." He spied it out on a counter and said "Come on, let me show you." By this point all the other technicians had left what they were doing and gathered around Carl and the crossbow.

As Carl walked through the modifications, the men made comments and asked questions which lead to other ideas. It wasn't long at all before they were grouped around the large chalk board and were happily dreaming up new ways to wreck havoc on monsters.

Carl was having the time of his life and completely forgot that he had intended to head back before Van Helsing got done with the doctor…


	26. Chapter 26

**_My thanks to everyone's enthusiastic support of this story. As it starts to near its end (and I say start because it seems to keep having just "one more chapter") I am really in awe of how much time and care people put into giving me feedback and telling me what they liked about it. And don't worry, I'm still seeing at least 3-4 more chapters before this arc of the story winds down.And I doubt they'll stay quiet long.They are already showing signs of taking up permenent residence in my life... And big hugs to Kydasam who reminds me to explain Van Helsing's mindset since he's not one to give out information without serious poking with a sharp stick!_**

It was a number of hours later before Van Helsing could leave MedLab. The physical exam for Hunters was more then just sticking out your tongue and saying "ah". After being poked, prodded and made to show his hand/eye coordination, his mood was less then chipper. The only thing that was keeping him from being absolutely unbearable was that he knew Carl would be waiting for him when he was done. When he had finally been given the ok to go, he was barely able to keep from sprinting out there. He made his way swiftly through the halls, ignoring the looks he got as he passed. He was use to it – the black sheep come home. Normally this would bother him but today his focus was entirely on finding Carl and maybe finally getting a chance to resolve this stand off between them.

When he reached the guest housing, he found a note waiting for him that said that the Caretaker's cottage had been set aside for the two of them. He smiled to himself – that was an unexpected but certainly very welcome surprise. Privacy would be most appreciated should the evening unfold like he was hoping. Might even suggest an early evening – in light of the traveling they had done and all…

Van Helsing's face was a mixture of happiness and calculation.

Having reached the cottage, he let himself in with the key he had been given. The cottage was quiet and he thought that maybe Carl had decided to take a nap. Think of the man all warm and sleep rumpled stirred his already active libido and he decided that it would be a wonderful idea to join Carl in bed.

But a quick check of the bedrooms showed that Carl was nowhere around. After a quick bout of annoyance he began to get worried. What if Jinette had sent someone around to fetch Carl while he had been tied up in MedLab? He tried to tell himself that Carl was merely walking around the grounds but he just didn't believe it. If Carl had gone out, he would have left a note. He knew how much Van Helsing hated being here. How little he trusted the people who worked here. He wouldn't have just wandered off somewhere, would he?

Van Helsing paced the room like a caged animal. Where the hell was Carl? If they were at home, this would be easy as he'd been in his lab but here? Thinking of the lab made him remember that his weapons should have arrived by now. And since the boys in the lab were always eager to start taking apart his things, he would have to check in with them at some point. But first he had to find Carl.

Deciding that the only way he was likely to find the man was to start a search, he grabbed the keys and headed back out the door. A quick inspection of the nearby grounds had him turning up empty handed so he extended out his search until he had reached the main building. He skirted the outside, continuing his search and soon found himself near the doors to the lab. By this point he was extremely frustrated and the sudden reminder that all his weapons were likely in pieces now did not improve his mood in the slightest. And since it was looking like Carl was somewhere in the building, he might as well make a brief detour to rescue his weapons and light a fire under the techs to get them working and ready to go.

So temper at the boiling point, he pushed open the door to the lab only to find the object of his hunt sitting at a work table with the rest of the techs laughing over what appeared to be a complicated engineering joke. Far from being lost or lonely, Carl looked like he had found his long lost family. Van Helsing had an instant stab of jealousy at how happy Carl looked at being with them. It was like Carl didn't even remember he was here with him.

It was Gerald who looked up and saw a thunderous looking Van Helsing standing in the doorway. He gulped nervously and sprang up from his stool, knocking it over in his haste. "Van Helsing. I didn't hear you come in. Have you come to talk about your weapons? We haven't touched them. Well, we have a little but we didn't take anything apart or anything. Just unpacked them. And well looked at the modifications Carl made but he was here for that so that's ok, right? I mean he's your partner and all…" He trailed off as the look on Van Helsing's face only got darker. Gulping he looked to Carl to save them.

Carl, meanwhile, was feeling terribly guilty. He had totally lost track of time and had forgotten he had meant to be back before Van Helsing got done with the doctor. Now Van Helsing was here and looking very unhappy. He bit his lip nervously and then took a quick breath and tried to smile. "Van Helsing, I see you are done with the doctor. Or did you climb out the window again?" His smile faltered as Van Helsing continued to scowl. He swallowed nervously and said "So Gerald came by looking for you about your weapons. I told him you'd be tied up for a while and he asked me if perhaps I could help out instead. I thought I should – seeing as I'll be taking care of them from now on. They also explained to me what some of the other stuff is for. It's given me some great ideas for future modifications. Oh, and we've been cooking up some other stuff as well, haven't we guys?" He looked around at the other techs who were still eyeing Van Helsing with some trepidation. Seeing he would get no help from that quarter, he turned back and said "Anyway, I'm glad you're done. I imagine that is a great weight off your mind."

As Carl talked, Van Helsing fought the urge to shake him. He had been worried about him and the whole time Carl had been having a good time with his fellow geeks. Closing his eyes for a moment to summon some control, he opened them and said a dangerously soft voice, "And a note telling me where you were and that you were ok apparently wasn't that important in comparison to the chance to geek out with new friends?"

Carl looked surprised and then horrified. It never occurred to him that Van Helsing would be that worried about him. OK, he knew the man hated being here at Headquarters but really, it wasn't as bad as Van Helsing had made it out. Besides they had already dealt with Jinette so there was no reason to be concerned about him while they were here at Headquarters. But it was clear from Van Helsing's face that he had been worried and that made Carl feel terrible.

"I'm sorry. You are right, I should have stopped and left a note. I really didn't think I'd be gone that long but that's really no excuse. I should have remembered how uncomfortable this place makes you and made sure you could easily find me. Or better still, had just stayed put and waited for you at the cottage." He looked down as he mumbled "I really am sorry."

Van Helsing wanted to hang onto his anger but he could feel it slipping away at Carl's clear remorse. He shook his head at how easily Carl was getting around him. "I know you are sorry, Carl. And I know that a chance to check out a new lab and hang out with other geeks was nigh on irresistible but you can't just run around here. This isn't DisneyLand you know.

Carl raised his head and said "I know its not DisneyLand. For starters, the architecture is a bit too gothic. But really, I think you are overly worried. Jinette is not going to try anything. He lost and he knows it. The only way for him to save face is to pretend we don't exist. He'll leave us both strictly alone.

Van Helsing looked sullenly at Carl and said "I see. So I'm overreacting because you weren't at the cottage like you said you would be when I got done with my exams. Pardon me, I'll just leave you to your new friends then shall I?" He turned and started to make his way to the door.

Carl winced. He had forgotten he had specifically said he'd be waiting in their quarters when Van Helsing got done. He quickly hurried across the room and caught Van Helsing's arm just as he was about to clear the doorway. "Look, I'm sorry. You are right. I said I'd be there and I flaked and left without even the courtesy of a note. I was wrong and you have every right to be annoyed. Let's just head back there now and I promise I won't leave it again without checking in with you first." He gave Van Helsing a pleading look.

Van Helsing looked down at Carl and then rubbed his eyes wearily with his free hand. Shaking his head he said "Fine, let's just get out of here. We can discuss this more later." He pulled out of Carl's grasp and turned again to leave.

Meanwhile, Gerald had been watching all of this with a huge sense of guilt. This was all his fault! If he hadn't invited Carl here, then Van Helsing wouldn't be this upset. Gathering his courage he called out, "Van Helsing, wait a moment." The Hunter turned and Gerald gulped a moment as that hard stare was leveled squarely at him. Coughing to clear the sudden dryness in his throat he stammered out, "Please don't be angry at Carl. This is really my fault. I asked him to come here. I know how much you resent being held up by our work and I thought that if Carl told us what needed to be done, we might be able to get you in and out faster. I wanted to make your trip here a bit easier since I know how much you hate being here. Not that I blame you or anything… Some folks here treat you pretty bad. Not that you deserve it. You're the best Hunter they've got and they should be treating you like a god instead of jerking you around like they do. That's why I always put a little extra attention into servicing your weapons. And I know that the rest of the guys here do the same. It's not much but it's all we got. We're pretty much treated like the bottom of the barrel too. But we always make sure that whenever we can, we get you the good stuff. Sometimes have to get pretty creative in the documentation but it's worth it to know that we're getting you what you need. It's not right the way you are treated and I know it's not just us in the lab that feel that way." Gerald wound down to a halt and then flushed when he realized just how much he had gone on.

Van Helsing was surprised and a bit confused by Gerald's speech. He was use to people giving him a wide berth and keeping conversations down to the minimum. The techs in the lab especially tended to treat him with kid gloves and tried to get him in and out as quickly as possible. He had always thought it was because they wanted to get rid of him but here was Talbot saying that they did it because believed it was what he wanted from them. And to hear that they had tried to help him out when they could – he didn't quite know what to say to that.

When he first came to Headquarters to train, there had been a great deal of awkwardness. No one knew how to train an adult and especially not one who had more or less grown up on the streets. Hunters were trained to be warriors in the old style. An education in the classics was just as important as fighting skills. Van Helsing had come there with none of that and no desire to acquire it so late in his life. This had created a huge riff between him and his instructors who despaired of turning him into a "true Knight of the Order" Had he not excelled in all areas of weapons use and fighting, the decision might have been made to keep him from the field but he was the finest fighter the Order had seen in generations. And so with great reluctance, he was finally sent out to fulfill his destiny. But Van Helsing knew that they and his fellow Hunters thought he was nothing more then a well trained thug.

And yet here was Talbot saying that he and his fellow techs supported him. Said that there were others as well who also felt the same way. This left him feeling confused and off balance. When he thought everyone felt the same way, it was easy to just keep up his guard and keep himself separate. It was safe… what he was use to doing. He wasn't sure how to respond to what Talbot said.

Carl could see the confusion in Van Helsing's eyes and felt a huge stab of compassion. Clearly the Hunter had never realized that there were people here who be there for him. Carl didn't quite understand why Van Helsing had made the assumption that he was universally disliked but it was clear that much of his experiences with the Order had been colored by it. It made him glad that he had come with Van Helsing since it meant that maybe the man would finally get the kind of support and respect that he deserved. But first he had to help the man to accept it.

Carl moved to stand next to Van Helsing and gave his shoulder a companionable pat. He smiled at Gerald and said, "Well, I'm glad to hear that there are people here who made up their own minds. There will be times I'll need to interface with people here to get information or resources and it will be guys like you that make that go much easier. We'll have to talk later about working out the details. But right now I think Van Helsing and I should probably get out of here for a while. Maybe grab some food?" He addressed the last bit to Van Helsing who was still looking a bit uncertain.

Carl's suggestion felt like a lifeline and Van Helsing grabbed it eagerly. "Sounds like a good idea. Getting poked, prodded and put through my paces always makes me hungry." He started to make for the door and then realized he should say something to the techs.

Feeling terribly awkward and out of his depths he mumbled "Hey, thanks for … well, dealing with my weapons and stuff. And well… taking care of Carl. " He tried to think of more to say but he just felt overwhelmed. He just wasn't use to the idea of having people be on his side.

Still whatever he said was apparently enough because Gerald and his fellow techs all lit up like kids at Christmas time. Gerald was practically bouncing. "Hey, don't worry about it. Was incredible getting to talk to Carl. We've advanced a bunch of projects along thanks to him. We'll have some really good things to show you next time you are here. Stuff you'll really like. You'll be kicking demon ass in real style! Just wish I could see it. Man, you must be so cool in the field. I've seen you in the training ring – man, you are just awesome. Best Hunter the Order has ever had, even if they won't admit it." He looked around at his fellow technicians who all nodded in agreement.

Carl had to stifle a snort at the blush that stained Van Helsing's cheeks. Guy wasn't use to compliments in the first place and this level of hero worship was more then he could handle. And while part of him wanted to stay and see how much Van Helsing would squirm under the attention, the more compassionate part decided to rescue him.

"I'll try to swing by before I leave to finalize some kind of collaboration system between us. In the meantime, I should probably go find this guy some food since I'm sure the doctors didn't provide lunch or anything." With a final smile at the technicians, he grabbed Van Helsing's arm and dragged him out of the lab. He couldn't look at the man though for fear of laughing. He knew Van Helsing was feeling more then a little uncertain and if he thought Carl was laughing at him, he'd only blow up again. Still, the sight of Van Helsing blushing and squirming at Gerald's gushing praise would be amusing him for many days to come.

He dragged the unusually docile Van Helping out of the building and towards their cottage. He figured that from there, he could figure out how to get to some place with good food and better wine. He wanted to get Van Helsing good and loose before he put his plans into action. He fought the smirk that threatened to break free. Poor Van Helsing. He really had no idea what was coming!


	27. Chapter 27

**_Sorry about the delay. Got sucked into another project and got totally distracted. _**

**_I want to thank all of you who review and especially those who keep questioning why Van Helsing and Carl act the way they do. It really helps me to remember to actually explain things instead of hording it all in my head!_**

The entire walk back to the cottage saw Van Helsing lost in thought. A lifetime of defensiveness and cynicism was at war with the startling possibility of acceptance… Perhaps even appreciation. The idea tantalized as much as it terrified.

All his life, he had never belonged anywhere. Life as a ward of the state quickly taught you to fend for yourself and to watch your back. Homes, such as they were, had been temporary and he had learned not to get comfortable anywhere since it could be taken away at any time. Add to that his tendency to refuse to accept authority's orders and it added up to a hard but well learned lesson that he would never really have a place in this world. That he lacked the kinds of things that would make him acceptable to normal society.

This is why being told he was a Hunter was not so big a shock as it might have been. The very things that marked him as a Hunter made him stand apart from the others growing up. But on arrival to the Order, it was once again made clear that he was not what he needed to be. He was too direct, too quick to act. He saw results as important; they wanted careful planning and a consideration for traditions. He just couldn't become like the others and that inability had put him in direct opposition with the other Hunters and those who managed them

He had heard them talking a number of times – the debates as to what to do with him. Whether to cut their loses and "send him back to the streets where he belongs". It had hurt but then his defenses kicked in. He had been here before – waiting while others decided where to dump him next. When he was a kid, he had no say in the matter but he was determined that this time he would not get so easily dismissed again. So he had worked twice as hard in the training ring until there wasn't another person who could stand against him. Armed with that, it became impossible to send him away. But it didn't mean he wasn't aware that they had wanted to.

As so he had done what he had always done when in a situation like this. He had put up his defenses and he had pretended that none of it mattered. That he had no desire to be part of the group. When people stared at him in the halls or stopped talking when he walked up, he acted tough and cranky. If it appeared like he wanted to be left alone, then it wasn't so obvious that he was already alone. And it had worked very well.

Only maybe it hadn't been completely necessary…

He struggled to reconcile his experiences of his early days to what had been said to him in the lab. To take another look at past encounters and see them from a different perspective.

He had always been something of a legend. The "Lost" Hunter. Had the looks and the talking been nothing more then natural curiosity? His first instinct had been to assume the worst of people's actions – it had kept him safe for a lot of years. But if what Talbot said was true…

It was strange. When he was young, he had always wanted some place to belong. It was a desire that never quite went away though he had built up enough defenses around it. But now faced with the possibility of actually having it, a part of him wanted to run away from it.

He didn't know how to belong. Didn't know the little things you did when you were a part of a group. In the training ring or on the hunt, he knew what to do. Knew he was the best. But in this area, he was a complete novice. With Talbot earlier he had stuttered something out but it wasn't very good. Talbot had been happy enough with it but really he should have done better. He'd have to do better…

It was an uncertain and unsettled Van Helsing that arrived back at their cottage.

Carl meanwhile had been caught up in his own thoughts and plans and so had not given a lot of thought to the fact that Van Helsing had been unusually quiet. Man wasn't really a chatter at the best of times and Carl, plotting his next moves, just wrote it off as Van Helsing being his normal self.

It wasn't until they had gotten back to the cottage that Carl really took a look at Van Helsing. What he saw caught him completely by surprise.

Van Helsing looked… lost. The usual tough confidence had been replaced by uncertainty and the unexpected vulnerability went straight to Carl's heart. All thoughts of getting the man drunk and taking advantage of him were dropped. This was definitely not the time for it. Moving over to him he said softly "Hey, penny for your thoughts?"

Van Helsing looked at Carl and felt even more vulnerable. Whereas Talbot and the others were colleagues, Carl was… god, he didn't exactly know. Friend? Partner? Lover? All of these? He shrugged and looked away. Meeting Carl's eyes felt too scary right now. "Don't think they're worth a penny" he said, trying to sound casual even as he moved to put some distance between them.

Carl watched Van Helsing move away. Could feel defenses being put up, put between them. Carl just couldn't let that happen. Not now. Van Helsing had moved towards the sitting area and Carl followed him. "Think that's my call to make. " He reached out to catch Van Helsing's arm and said, "What's going on, partner?" Carl put a slight emphasis on the word partner, hoping to remind Van Helsing of the relationship they had forged.

Van Helsing didn't quite know what to do when Carl didn't let it drop. Part of him wanted to insist that Carl let it go. To give him the space to withdraw. To be safe within his defenses. But part of him really wanted to let Carl in. To accept the offer that was being made without doubting it. The battle between what he had always done and known and something new and uncharted was a hard one.

It was Carl that shifted the balance. While Van Helsing stood lost in his decision, Carl moved up behind him and decided to take a real chance. Sliding his arms around Van Helsing, he pressed himself against the man's back and said softly "Whatever it is, we're in this together. That's the deal, remember?"

Van Helsing stiffened for a moment at the contact. Having Carl so close made it hard to think, to keep up his defenses. _So why do it?_ Whispered a voice in his head. He shook his head. It was risky. Carl already meant so much to him. Had already made it through so many of his defenses. Couldn't let him closer. Would hurt when he left. When he saw him for what he was and walked away.

Carl could almost feel the internal struggle going on within Van Helsing and felt helpless as to how to reassure him that he had nothing to fear. That whatever it was that disturbed him that Carl would stand by him through it. All he could do was continue to hold him and hope that Van Helsing would continue to let him.

It was Carl's continued presence that wore down Van Helsing's resistance. With a shuddering breath, the tension released and he leaned back into Carl's body. Let the warmth and the offer of support wrap around him.

Carl wanted to shout with joy when he felt Van Helsing relax into him. Knew that whatever was going on, that Van Helsing had decided to let him be there. He rubbed one of his hands on Van Helsing's chest in a comforting manner and waited for the man to finally speak.

Van Helsing found the the feel of Carl's warmth and the gentle touch of his hand soothing to his battered emotions. It slowed the torrent and let him stop floundering. As the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions died down, one thought remained. _How do I do this?_

He hadn't realized he had spoken it out loud.

Carl heard the softly spoken words but was unsure how to respond. What was Van Helsing thinking of? He realized he needed to see Van Helsing's face and he slowly slid his hands away as he moved around to the front. "How do you do what?" His hand moved to Van Helsing's arm, unconsciously seeking to re-establish contact.

When Carl began to pull away, Van Helsing felt an instant sense of loss but then Carl was in front of him, touching his arm. At his question, Van Helsing flushed a bit and looked away. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Now Carl was going ask questions that he just didn't have answers for. He shook his head "It's nothing. How about we get something to eat? I'm pretty hungry." He moved away hoping to forestall any further conversation.

Carl watched as Van Helsing attempted to change the subject and it only made him more determined to find out what was wrong. Moving to counter Van Helsing's flight, he said, "How about you tell me what is going on?" At the reluctant look on Van Helsing's face, he sighed and said, "I thought we had agreed that we're in this together. So that means that whatever you think you need to do, we're doing it together. So spill. Tell me what's going on."

Van Helsing closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them with a sigh. There was no getting around this. Carl was clearly not going to let him go until he told him. "Its…" he fidgeted a bit, feeling enormously uncomfortable about admitting to his failures. He looked away, hoping that not making eye contact would make this less awkward. "Today in the lab… Talbot and the others…" He faltered for a moment. How to do say that you don't know how to be a part of something?

Carl looked at Van Helsing with confusion. What about Talbot and the others? Was this about the hero worship? OK, it had been a BIT much but that didn't account for this level of discomfort. What was going on?

Van Helsing could see Carl uncomprehending look and felt even more pathetic. God, he couldn't even manage to string a sentence together. No wonder he was always an outsider! Determined to not make himself look any more ridiculous then he already had, he took a deep breath and just blurted it all out.

"Earlier today when Talbot was saying that he and the others admired me and all, I didn't know what to say to them. I still don't know what to say to them. Or what to do with them. I don't know how do any of this. I've just never been a part of anything. Not from the inside. There's all this stuff that you are suppose to do and I don't know how to do any of it!"" He flushed bright red and looked away from Carl. He waited for the laughter and the taunting to start.

Carl looked stunned for a moment and then a huge wave of compassion hit him. This is what had Van Helsing so unsettled? The actuality of belonging? It was so very sad and yet Carl wasn't surprised either. So much of the way Van Helsing acted and the defenses he had spoke of someone who had learned to trust no one. You didn't get that way from a lifetime of belonging.

Carl gave Van Helsing an understanding smile and said softly "Well, the good news is that at least with Talbot and the other techs is that being geeks, they aren't exactly portraits of social graces. So really, just talking to them, maybe bringing them the odd pastry now and then, that's really all it takes. They like you already so the hard work is already done.

Van Helsing gave Carl a searching look but saw no traces of mockery in his face. "But why do they like me? I've never really talked to them and when I did, I was always rather short with them. It doesn't make any sense. They should hate me!"

Carl shook his head. "In a lot of ways, you are alike. Like you, they don't get a lot of respect for what they do. They are shunted away and only dealt with when someone needs something. I think that in you, they see one of their own making good. That's why they work so hard to see you are given what you need. Your victories in many ways are theirs. All they want is for you to see them as part of your team."

Van Helsing looked uncertain. "My team? I'm not really a team player, Carl. I tend to do things my own way. That's why I don't have a partner."

Carl cut him off "That's why you didn't have a partner. You've got one now and don't you forget it. As for Talbot and the others, think of them as your backup support. People who can get you things you need to keep doing what you do. All you need is just allow them to do what they are already doing for you. The rest will just come with time. No one is expecting you to suddenly become a social butterfly." Carl gave him a sweet smile and said "In fact, if you did, I'd be looking for your pod and wondering what the aliens had done with the real Van Helsing."

Van Helsing thought about what Carl said but he still wasn't completely convinced. "But people aren't going to wait forever for me to figure out how to do this. What happens when they get sick of it?"

Carl shook his head "Van Helsing, they are not going to get sick of it. If they were, they would have done it by now. The fact that they've held in there this long and in the face of no encouragement whatsoever shows that they really want this. So you are just going to have to have a little faith, even if it's against everything you normally believe. These people are not going away."

He then put his hand on Van Helsing's shoulder and looked him directly in the eye. "And for the record, I'm not going anywhere either so you are just going to have to come to terms with that too."

Van Helsing shook his head. "There are a hell of a lot better people out there you could partner with Carl. Ones who would be a lot less trouble. Why are you doing this?" He dreaded the answer just as much as he wanted to hear it.

Carl just smiled widely and said "I happen to like the trouble you cause me. Well, for the most part anyway. Could do without getting dragged out of stores but the rest is just fine." He got more serious for a moment and continued "I like you, Van Helsing. I like you a lot. Moreover, what you do is important and I like knowing I can help you with that. That I can make it safer and easier for you to do what you do. I like knowing that I'm there to watch your back. And I'd like to think that given time, maybe I could be there in other ways too. Be… friends."

The last word had almost been something else. But it was far too soon to be speaking of such things. Van Helsing was struggling to adjust to the concept of being a part of a group. To throw the idea of a relationship at him was just too much right now. There was time and Carl could wait.

_Friends_ Funny how disappointed he was to hear that word. He wanted to be more then that, even though he knew it would eventually end. Having Carl this close, being able to smell his scent and feel his hand on him, was stirring things in him. It seemed that it was the little things about Carl that seemed to affect him the most. He swallowed hard and said "I… I like you too, Carl. And while I don't really understand why you are willing to put up with me, I'm glad that you do."

He stopped, torn between the desire to say more and the awkwardness that made him want to run away.

Carl smiled at the almost shyness that Van Helsing radiated. It was surprisingly endearing and made Carl want to snuggle him. But since he didn't think Van Helsing would much appreciate it, he contented himself with a quick hug and then stepping back said "Alright. How about we hit the town and get a good meal and maybe sample some of the local Italian wines? I think we deserve a treat with the day we've had."

Van Helsing smiled, grateful for a chance to break this strange awkwardness he seemed caught in. "Sounds like a plan. I know a place that has great food and a pretty good wine cellar. I usually go there when I'm here and it's not far from here." He pulled his keys out of his pocket and gestured towards the door. "After you."

Carl grinned and said "Don't mind if I do." He was again in a good mood, feeling like he had made some real progress with Van Helsing. And while he was no longer counting on a night spent pleasurably in the big four-poster bed in the main bedroom, he was expecting to enjoy himself. Good food, good wine and good -looking company – really, how could you go wrong?

Besides, after a couple of bottles of wine, he could get all snuggly and pretend he was too drunk to know what he was doing.


	28. Chapter 28

They made it to the restaurant in short order and were seated without problems. Carl was pretty happy with the choice as it was small and intimate, they had been seated in a table that had a certain amount of privacy and the smells emanating from the kitchen were making his mouth water. All in all it was looking to be a good evening.

Carl was perusing the menu when their waiter came over. "Van Helsing! So you have returned to me. I have missed you. You have stayed away far too long for my liking." The waiter was giving Van Helsing a slow and hungry going over and Carl could feel himself bristling at the act.

Van Helsing grinned "Paulo! I didn't know you'd be on tonight. Yeah, haven't had to come to Rome for a while. So you are gonna take care of me tonight?"

_Take care of ME _Carl was definitely not happy with that comment. Clearing his throat, he smiled with mock sweetness and said "Paolo. I'm thinking that we could really use a good bottle of wine. We've had quite a day and I think we've earned it." Carl emphasized the "we" deciding to remind the waiter there were two people sitting here.

Paulo gave Carl a carefully calculated smile – one worn by wait staff everywhere and said "I can recommend several very fine ones if you have nothing specific in mind." His eyes turned to Van Helsing and the expression got significantly warmer. "I could get you a bottle of that wine you usually favor…" the voice trailed off but the look was inviting and suggestive. A reminder of previous times together.

Carl was not pleased at the route this evening was starting to take. While he was willing to accept that tonight would not end with the kind of bang Carl was craving, he'd be damned if he let someone else get shagged by Van Helsing! There were limits to just how noble he was willing to be! Clearing his throat to gain Paulo's attention he said tightly "Bring us a bottle of whatever Van Helsing usually has and have another waiting. When you've done that, then you can tell us about any house specialties" Carl knew he was sounding snotty but he couldn't help it. Paulo was hitting on HIS Van Helsing and that could not be tolerated!

Van Helsing frowned slightly at the imperious tone Carl was using. Just because Paulo worked here was no reason for Carl to treat him so demeaningly. To take the sting out of what Carl had said, he gave Paulo a smile and said "Thanks. You always do take good care of me." He was rewarded with a grin and a wink from Paulo who left to take care of Carl's request.

Carl looked at Van Helsing with a mix of annoyance and hurt. He had thought they had come here so they could spend time together but it appeared that Van Helsing had picked the restaurant in the hopes of running into Paulo. He pretended to study his menu rather then look at Van Helsing while he tried to recover his poise.

Van Helsing watched Carl looking so casual and unconcerned after his treatment of Paulo and felt a stab of irritation toward the blond. He couldn't believe Carl was acting like such a snob! If he had known Carl would act this way, he never would have brought him here. This was one of his favorite restaurants and they had always taken really good care of him every time he had come here. He didn't want Carl's attitude to ruin that.

When Paulo returned with the wine, Van Helsing made a point of smiling and touching Paulo's arm while saying "As always, the most attentive service in Italy." Paulo returned the smile murmuring "It is always my pleasure to serve you, Van Helsing…"

Carl wanted to throw something at Paulo… and Van Helsing. He couldn't believe he was being asked to sit here while Van Helsing flirted with another man. Barely a day ago, Van Helsing had slept with him and now he was already moving on to the next person. It was insulting! It was aggravating! It hurt like hell! He must have made some kind of noise because suddenly both men were looking at him. Paulo with polite inquiry and Van Helsing with a vaguely annoyed expression.

Carl bit his lip and then rallied. He wasn't the product of many generations of blue blood for nothing. Pinning a polite smile on his face he said in the most casual of tones "So, what is the specials of the house? I must confess that the smells coming from the kitchen are quite delightful. I'm sure that there isn't a bad choice from the menu to be made." Carl mentally congratulated himself on his control. His mother would be proud of how well he was covering his discomfort.

Paulo gave Carl a very measured look and then said, "Yes, we are quite proud of our kitchen. If you are in the mood for seafood, there are a couple of dishes I can recommend." He paused and gave Carl a polite look of inquiry.

Carl, deciding that he wasn't up for much more just gave a polite little smile and said "How about I leave the choice in your hands. Van Helsing seems to trust you so I shall as well."

Paulo's smile became tinged with a leer as he looked at Van Helsing. "Yes, I have come to know Van Helsing's likes quite well."

Carl's fingers itched to wipe the smirk off Paulo's oh so smug face. Slutty, pushy Italian skank! His hands tightened on the menu as he fought to keep his expression distant. But when Paulo moved closer to Van Helsing and leaned over his shoulder, Carl lost a bit of his cool. He heard himself saying "So Van Helsing, what about you? What will you be having?" Both men startled and looked at him in surprise at his sudden outburst but he couldn't help it.

Van Helsing quirked an eyebrow at Carl's abrupt comment and then mentally shrugged and said, "I'll have my usual. You'll make sure the chief takes care of it, right?"

Paulo gave a seductive smile and said, "You know I'll always make sure you get what you want." He brushed his fingers across Van Helsing's hand before taking the menu. He then murmured, "Anything you want – you know that."

Carl sucked in a sharp breath at the sensual touch to Van Helsing. Without thought, he slapped his menu down on Paulo's hand, breaking the moment and directing the man's attention to him. With a terse smile he said, "Here, you'll be needing this." Paulo nodded, took the menu, forcing him to move away from Van Helsing. He gave a polite waiter smile and said "I'll go and place your orders with the kitchen now." He gave one last smile to Van Helsing and moved off.

Van Helsing gave Carl a rather irritated look and said "Carl, your behavior towards Paulo is unacceptable. He's a friend of mine and I want you to treat him accordingly. When I first came to Rome, he went out of his way to take care of me. Every time I come here, he always makes me feel welcome. When he comes back to the table, I expect you to behave, understood?"

Carl looked at Van Helsing with annoyance. _I'm supposed to behave? What about him? He's certainly not behaving himself!_ But Van Helsing was looking at him sternly so he bit back his sarcastic comments and said, "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a bit distracted. I promise to be extra nice to him when he comes back." The tone was consolatory but Carl's eyes were sullen and nonrepentant.

Van Helsing wanted to shake Carl. Why was he being this way? Like the upper class snob he had always said he abhorred? He huffed out his breath angrily and picked up his wine glass. He didn't want to look at Carl in case he said something that he'd regret later.

Carl meanwhile was sulking quietly. He might have to be less obvious in his dislike of Paulo but that didn't mean he had any intentions of making it easy on Paulo to seduce Van Helsing. Van Helsing was his and if he had to be underhanded and manipulative to ensure that Van Helsing remained out of Italian tramp's hands, then so be it. All's fair in love and war as they say. And this was both!

When Paulo returned later with their salads, Carl made a point of smiling and thanking Paulo for his attention. He also engaged him in a conversation about possible things to see in Rome. Carl had been there before but there was no need for Paulo to know that. The goal was to keep Paulo's attention fixed on him so he couldn't be pawing Van Helsing every few minutes.

Unfortunately this ploy had a flaw in that it opened up the opportunity for Paulo to bring up past times together with Van Helsing. Apparently he had played "tour guide" to Van Helsing in previous trips and Carl had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming in frustration each time Paulo managed to turn the conversation to Van Helsing.

There was great relief when Paulo was forced to leave to serve another customer. Carl filled his wine glass for the third time and drank ½ of it in the first go. This whole thing was just a nightmare and Carl wasn't sure how he was going to keep from doing something that would really anger Van Helsing and set back all the ground he had just won with the man.

The two ate without speaking and it was another server that came by to remove their plates. Carl hoped that meant that Paulo for some reason had been removed from their table - perhaps went on break? But he returned with their entrees and Carl had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping as Paulo fussed over Van Helsing's meal – ostensibly to make sure that it was done exactly to Van Helsing's specifications. It wasn't until Carl grabbed the wine bottle, only to find it was more or less empty, that Paulo turned his attention to Carl and insincerely asked him if he liked what Paulo had chosen for him. Carl just stared at the man for a moment before finally managing to get out "Yes, its fine, thank you." Paulo nodded, noted the wine bottle that Carl was holding and said, "I shall just bring the next one, shall I?" Carl attempted a polite smile, failed and finally just says, "Yes, I would appreciate that." He then turned his attention to his plate where he stared morosely at what was probably a very tasty meal if he wasn't to heart sick to enjoy it. He picked desultory at his plate and continued to drink more wine.

Van Helsing was torn between irritation and puzzlement. Carl was acting very strangely. When they left Headquarters everything had seemed fine. There was no awkwardness from his earlier crankiness with Carl and he had thought they would have an enjoyable evening away from all the stress of The Order. But instead things were the worst they had ever been between them. First Carl had been rude and snippy with Paulo and now he staring at his plate like the thought he could divine his future in his linguini. Van Helsing just sighed. He couldn't figure out what had happened and therefore he didn't know what to say to fix things. So he too just focused on his meal and didn't say anything.

When Paulo came by with the other bottle, Carl immediately held up his glass for a refill. If he was going to have to endure this, he wasn't going to do it sober! Paulo filled it and then turned to Van Helsing. "More for you, Van Helsing?" Van Helsing shook his head. He was going to need to keep a clear head if he wanted to make sure that he didn't make things worse with Carl.

Paulo looked at the slight frown on Van Helsing's face and the looks he was giving his dinner companion who was steadfastly ignoring him. This piqued his interest a bit and so he decided to probe a little. "So Van Helsing, your companion – who is he? I have never seen you with another before."

Van Helsing said, "Carl is my new work partner. We were just made an official team today." He said it carefully as Paulo had no idea what Van Helsing really did and he wanted to keep it that way.

Carl on the other hand, only heard the emphasis on the word "working" partner and felt stab of pain in his heart. So Van Helsing was making sure that Paulo knew Carl was no competition was he? He picked up his wine glass and drained the whole thing and reached again for the bottle.

Van Helsing frowned as he watched Carl down another glass of wine and ready himself to have another. "Carl, don't you think maybe you should slow down some? That's your sixth glass of wine in under an hour."

Carl looked at disgruntled at Van Helsing and said, "I'm fine. If you are worried about having to take me home tonight, don't be. I'll be just fine on my own." Just to show Van Helsing, he deliberately picked up the glass, saluted Van Helsing and drank the whole thing.

Van Helsing watched Carl drink the wine and felt his temper flare. "What the hell is your problem, Carl? Christ! Ever since we walked in the door you've been in a mood. And you've been as rude as hell to Paulo who doesn't deserve any of it."

The wine already flowing through Carl's bloodstream snapped what little control he had left. Angrily he glared at Van Helsing and said, "Well then excuse me. I'll just go and leave you to Paulo's tender care. That is why we're here in the first place, isn't it? I'll just get out of your way and leave you to it." He got angrily up from his chair, intending on storming out.

Van Helsing just glared at Carl and then barked, "Carl, sit the hell down. You have clearly had too much to drink." He turned to Paulo and said, "Bring us a pot of very strong coffee. Carl clearly needs it."

Carl remained standing, glaring as he snarled, "I do not need coffee and I'm not drunk. I'm just sick to death of being made to watch as you pick up some other guy. You don't want me, fine. Just don't make me watch my successor." And with that he turned on his heel and made for door.

Van Helsing jumped up to go after Carl, anger in every line until what Carl said actually sunk in. He stood frozen as surprise as he realized that all of Carl's snippiness and rudeness had been from jealousy. Then a somewhat feral grin came over his face and he quickly threw down some bills to cover their meal and he made off after Carl.

Carl heading back towards Headquarters, his anger giving him a fair turn of speed. He couldn't believe that Van Helsing had done that to him. He had thought they had reached a new level of understanding from their talk. He had thought that in facing Jinette together and from all that had happened in the lab, that they had come closer together. But clearly that had been an illusion since Van Helsing had very cruelly flaunted his next conquest right in front of Carl.

Carl could feel tears prickling his eyes and he fought them back. He would not cry over Van Helsing. He would not! So caught up in his own hurt and misery, he didn't hear the running footsteps behind him.

Van Helsing had exited the restaurant and scanned the streets looking for Carl. He hadn't expected him to have gone very far but apparently Carl was moving very fast. He broke into a light run and made after him. When he caught up to him, he grabbed Carl and spun him around. "You were jealous. That's why you were acting the way you were towards Paulo. You were jealous of him." He was smiling from ear to ear.

Carl had to fight to keep from smacking Van Helsing. How dare he look so pleased about this? This was not some game, you know. He wretched himself out of Van Helsing's grasp and snapped, "Leave me alone. Just go back to your Roman stud and let me be." He started to walk away but Van Helsing grabbed him again.

"Carl, will you stop running away for one minute?"

Carl tugged, trying unsuccessfully to free himself. "No. I don't want to talk about this. Just let me go." He pulled particularly hard but to no avail.

Van Helsing just shook his head and said "No. I don't want to let you go. In fact what I really want to do is hold on to you." He suited actions to words and pulled Carl in closer. Carl struggled against him but he didn't let go.

When Van Helsing pulled him closer, Carl was caught between wanting to snuggle closer and running far, far away. As he struggled he said, "Damn it. Let me go. This isn't funny. Besides, isn't Paulo waiting for you? Or are you killing time until he gets off work?" That last thought proved to be particularly painful and made him try all the harder to break free.

Van Helsing heard the hurt underlying Carl's words and tightened his arms even more. "Carl. I'm not getting together with Paulo. To be honest, I wasn't thinking of him when I suggested the restaurant. I thought you'd like the food, that's all. But I can't say as I'm sorry that Paulo was there as I never would have known you were interested if you hadn't gotten all jealous." He felt Carl's struggling stop and he smiled to himself before continuing. "What do you say we forgot about what happened and head back to the cottage? No Italian waiters and no geeks. Just you and me."

Carl felt the hurt and anger drain away. He nodded and said softly "Yeah, I'd like that. " He let his head drop to Van Helsing's shoulder as he stood still in Van Helsing's arms.

Van Helsing held Carl close for a minute, savoring the feel of the man but his body began to stir and he pulled away. Grabbing Carl by the arm he began to drag him the rest of the way back, suddenly needing to have Carl someplace where he could have him naked and all to himself.


End file.
